Keys to Game 1 of both ALDS 

September, 30, 2011
9/30/11
2:20
PM ET
By Jim Bowden | ESPN.com
Here's what I'll be looking for as I watch Game 1 of both American League Division Series tonight.

Detroit Tigers-New York Yankees



• Realistically, Detroit ace Justin Verlander has to beat CC Sabathia for the Tigers to have a chance of winning the series. I'm looking to see how well Verlander can utilize his secondary offerings against the Yankees' potent lineup. Unlike a lot of teams, the Yankees can handle high-90s velocity, as they showed against David Price on Wednesday night.

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Jim Bowden
Jim Bowden

Bowden, who served as the senior vice president and GM for the Cincinnati Reds and the Washington Nationals, is an analyst for ESPN.com. In 1992, Bowden became the youngest GM in MLB history when the Reds hired him at age 31. The Reds finished in first place twice during his 10 years as GM, and he was named MLB Executive of the Year by Baseball America in 1999. After working for ESPN in 2004, Bowden became the first GM of the Washington Nationals when the franchise relocated from Montreal to Washington, D.C., in 2005, working in that role until the 2009 season. Bowden co-hosts the "Inside Pitch" radio show on Sirius XM satellite radio. Follow on Twitter: @JimBowdenESPNxm.

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