For the time being, CC Sabathia and Alex Rodriguez have completely silenced their critics.

Sabathia held the Angels to one earned run over eight innings on Tuesday night as the Yankees earned a 10-1 victory to go up three-games-to-one in the ALCS. Rodriguez went three-for-four on the night with three runs scored, two RBI and a home run, which was his third of the postseason.

Both of these players have been ridiculed in the past for their lousy postseason play, but are now carrying their club. Sabathia is absolutely dominating hitters while pitching late into ballgames, while A-Rod is hitting a scoring .375, which leads all New York batters.

This win was huge for the Yankees because if they can’t close things out in Game 5, the Angels have to go back to New York for two games. If the Yankees can’t win one of two at home, then they didn’t deserve to go to the World Series anyway.

It’s been a surreal year for Alex Rodriguez. It began with disgrace, as he joined the club of major league players implicated in the never-ending steroids scandal. He was never a fan favorites in New York, and now he had sunk to a new low. His reputation would be forever tarnished.

Yet after watching A-Rod’s postseason performance so far, this may be the best thing that ever happened to him. Last night, A-Rod rose to the occasion again to provide a dramatic home run to save the day for the Yankees in Game 2.

• To be honest, for all his remarkable numbers, A-Rod has never inspired legend quite like a Williams or Ruth, a Bonds or a Mantle. Yet through five postseason games, he now has three home runs that have either tied or put the Yankees ahead. One off Joe Nathan and another off Brian Fuentes, two pretty darn good closers, too. Here’s the reaction from The LoHud Yankees Blog:

• His story of exorcising October demons has almost become old hat. Four times he has been asked the same questions and four times he has continued to repeat what he said in St. Pete. “I know you guys are probably looking for something profound. I’m just in a good place. I’m seeing the ball and I’m hitting it. That’s about it.” Rodriguez now has an RBI in each of the first five postseason games, setting a new Yankee record. Here’s audio from Rodriguez:

• Burnett said he, Phil Hughes, Phil Coke and Joba Chamberlain were in the clubhouse watching the 11th inning unfold. People would never believe the scene they made after Rodriguez hit the tying homer. “We were like little kids,” Burnett said, “jumping around and hugging.”

• In the dugout, Mark Teixeira couldn’t fathom that Rodriguez had done it. Again. “I just kept yelling, ‘He did it again! He did it again!” Teixeira said. “I just couldn’t believe it.”

It’s amazing what a great athlete can do when he just focuses on the job at hand. A-Rod has admitted to being so self-absorbed that he put tremendous pressure on himself. The scandal seems to have forced A-Rod to grow up and develop a more mature approach to the game. If he keeps this up and the Yankees win the World Series, this will be one of the fastest and most dramatic image turnarounds we’ve ever seen in sports.

“It’s very difficult, when you’re looking up at all those raindrops and trying to find the biggest one. And Jeter did.”

- Tim McCarver commenting on Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter catching a pop fly in the rain.

I needed to laugh. After watching nearly 13 innings of enthralling play, I was absolutely infuriated with the outcome of this game. I’m not even rooting for either team — I was just screaming at the television because the ending was bad baseball. Luckily, Tim McCarver delivered countless lines of nonsense to keep things light. The gem I’ve included above was easily his best.

It’s a damn shame this game ended because of an error. Both teams played their hearts out and gave fans five hours or grueling, yet exciting competition. The players, coaches, and fans deserved a walk-off hit or a final strikeout. With one out, Jerry Hairston Jr. on second, and Robinson Cano on first in the bottom of the 13th, Melky Cabrera hit a routine ground ball to Angels second baseman Maicer Izturis. All he had to was make the easy out at first. Then, with two outs and runners on second and third, Ervin Santana would have faced Jorge Posada. Instead, Izturis attempted a double play and completely missed the glove of shortstop Erick Aybar. Granted, there was a slim chance that they would have turned two, as Cabrera isn’t the fastest guy in pinstripes. Still, why risk it? Get the easy out and try your luck against the next batter.

While this game was filled with clutch pitching and hitting, the Angels and Yankees were both sloppy on defense. Robinson Cano, Chone Figgins, Derek Jeter, and Macier Izturis all committed errors (Cano had two). I know the rain didn’t help, but some of these mishaps were inexcusable. You know the overall defense was brutal when Johnny Damon made the best grab of the night.

Joe Saunders and A.J. Burnett both provided solid starts for their clubs. Saunders went seven innings, allowing two runs on five hits, while Burnett powered through six with two earned runs on three hits. As the game progressed, the Yankees almost went through every pitcher on their roster, excluding the starters. Surprisingly, the Angels looked to Ervin Santana in the game’s late innings. Santana, a starter who spent most of the year battling injuries, managed to control the Yankees during his time on the mound. Although he’s credited with the loss, he won’t take the blame. Maicer Izturis and Brian Fuentes should have a rough flight back. With the Angels up by one run, Fuentes gave up an 11th inning home run to Alex Rodriguez. Mike Scioscia had decided to reserve Fuentes until the Angels took the lead, and it cost him. Fuentes, who led the American League in saves, looked very nervous out there, and A-Rod read him like a book.

With the Yankees up two games to none, the series now heads to Anaheim. Jered Weaver is set to pitch for the Angels against veteran Andy Pettitte of the Yankees in Game 3.