It looked like a cruise-control win for the Yanks, 6-1 lead going into the 8th inning. Robinson Cano had 3 hits, and Brett Gardner had a couple including a 2-run triple. The 4 runs the Yankees scored in the 4th inning gave C.C. Sabathia all the cushion he’d need and while he wasn’t dominate, he looked good. But after a few batters reached base he was replaced by David Robertson who had nothing and before you knew it, it was 6-5, tying run on second and here comes Mo.
Rivera was one pitch from loading the bases when he got a generous called strike 3 to get out of trouble. Hey, sometimes being a Legend helps. He retired the side in the 9th–flyout, groundout to the pitcher, and line drive to Alex Rodriguez–without breaking a sweat and the rest of us, who were, by that time, sweaty, felt great relief.
[Featured Image: Bolenowe Moor; Photo Credit: Rich Schultz/Getty Images]
M. O.
That's how you spell relief. Even the National Spelling Bee agrees.
That was a nasty strike Mo delivered to end the 8th. I think the only thing that was generous about the call was the ump's emphatic punchout.
Put it this way: if the call went the other way, ball four, bases loaded, it woulda been total horseshit, no?
[2] It looked outside to me originally but the overhead replay showed a single seam cross the very front edge corner of the plate. That fact that it was perfectly knee high when it crossed the plate made it a perfect pitch. The ump's punch out-punch down at knee high level was icing on the cake.
2) You might be right.
I used to think Robertson was going to be a good fit to move into o's closer role next year. Singleton made a good point last night, Robertson has a bad habit of throwing too many pitches. He needs to be more economical. Mo, more often than not, just throws strikes.
[5] One can throw strikes when one has an unhittable cutter. Everyone else has to rely on multiple pitches to keep hitters off balance. Look at Hughes who seems to go to two strikes on everyone but struggles with putting away anyone with that last strike. People keep fouling off his "out" pitches until he makes a mistake.
life without Mo is a cold, scary world (and, to Alex's point) in which knee-high strikes in the corner of the zone are called ball four, bases loaded.