"ANAHEIM, Calif. — Derek Jeter clutched a bottle of NyQuil as he left Angel Stadium on Tuesday. His voice was raspy and hoarse. He looked and sounded as if he needed a rest, and the Yankees are getting one Wednesday, when their American League Championship Series with the Los Angeles Angels takes a one-day break.
"Jeter’s spirits were sound, at least, because of the way his team has played. The Yankees lead the series, three games to one, and a victory in Game 5 on Thursday will clinch their 40th pennant and the seventh of Jeter’s career. The World Series is tantalizingly close.
"Five other times, Jeter’s Yankees have been in this position, ahead by 3-1 in the A.L.C.S. Three times, the Yankees won the series in five. Another time, they won it in six. Then there was 2004.
"Every pinstriped fan knows what happened then. The Yankees won the first three games against Boston, and lost the fourth game in 12 heart-stopping innings. They lost the fifth game, too, and the last two at Yankee Stadium."
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