It was too comfortable, the feeling the Yankees gave us a few weeks back, as they crushed, killed and destroyed everything in their path. They have sputtered back down to earth somewhat, baseball having a way of evening out and all, and so we are left feeling, well, less comfortable.
The offense was dormant for much of the evening tonight–shhh, baby’s sleeping–and the Yanks trailed 4-2 in the eighth inning. Nothing infuriating, nothing inspiring, just another sluggish game.
In the eighth, Alex Rodriguez singled with one out and then Godzilla Matsui yanked a breaking ball into the not-so-cheap cheap-shot seats and the game was tied.
Mariano Rivera worked around a lead-off base hit in the ninth to keep the score tied. Then Brett Gardner led off the bottom of the inning, worked the count full and fouled off what looked to be ball four. Swing at anything close, right? Well, he ripped the next pitch into center for a single, to hell with the base on balls. Derek Jeter fell behind 0-2, not looking to bunt, and then Gardner stole second on a slider that went for a ball. Jeter grounded out pushing Gardner to third.
With the infield drawn in, Franciso Cervelli singled hard through the left side, ran to first, rounded the bag and raced into the outfield as Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano and the rest of the team chased him like a flock of geese headed south for the winter. On the double.
Final score: Yanks 5, Blue Jays 4.
AJ Burnett slammed Cervelli in the grill with a cream pie and if he could pitch half as well as he could celebrate, boy, the Yanks will be okay.
Very satisfying win tonight. I hope they can take two from SEA, and keep it going.
Let's win out.
Sox down to their last strike......
still alive and the bases are loaded, C'mon LAA, finish 'em off already
are you #$#%#%#%#%$ kidding me? Angels WALKED in the tying run?????
That call on the bases loaded walk was terrible. They showed the pitch zone saying it was a strike, definitely.
Green struck out twice in that at bat by my count. A horseshit win/loss depending on what side you sit on. But as increasingly uncomfortable I'm becoming at watching AJ and his pie stuffin antics, I feel sure that the Angels will beat the Sox this October. Boston has a beating coming to them at the hands of the Angels.
[7] Fuentes may have something to say about that
[7] I just hope it isn't the Yankees who are playing Anaheim in the ALDS. It isn't always easy to rev the engines after you break it down, but the Yankees don't have the luxury of sputtering anymore. They have 6 difficult games ahead of the Boston series, while the Red Sox have 8 very easy ones. It's not far fetched to think Boston will enter next weekend only 2 or 3 down in the loss column. If it gets that close, the reason will be the 5 losses to Baltimore and Toronto, many of which were the result of very lax play and a sub optimal lineup fielded by Girardi.
[0] Nice post Alex, and feel 100% the same about AJ! BTW, you reference Cervelli in yesterdays post. Today he gets pie. Creepy. Creepy good.
i'm completely terrified to face the Shit Sox in the postseason. my stomach can't handle that...
i just saw the shit sox highlights. that was some massive fucking bullshit in that green at-bat. bitch was struck out. that sucks. i HATE boston.
i thoroughly enjoyed the Yankees highlights, however!!! : )
20-20 Watch:
Chase Utley reached 20-20 for the first time in his career. he becomes the 7th player this season to reach:
Chase Utley
Ian Kinsler
Mark Reynolds
Curtis Granderson
Matt Kemp
Hanley Ramirez
Brandon Phillips
Kinsler is closing in on 30-30. Hanley and Phillips were both in last season.
Justin Upton and Nelson Cruz are each 1 SB away. Tulowitzki is 3 SB's away.
Jimmy Rollins is 2 HR away. some guy named Derek Jeter is 3 HR away.
and how many times must a man strije out,
before an umpire calls an out?
*strike
[14] the answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
the answer, is blowin' in the wind!
[16] Thelarmis has never listened to a Bob Dylan song.
True story!
Burnett's got high hopes,
he's got high hopes,
AJ's got high whipped cream pie,
in the sky hopes.
But everytime he's pitching bad,
instead of feeling sad,
Give Aceves the mop, and fear
Oops here comes another postseason flop?
Apologies to Frank Sinatra, and Burnett Belivers everywhere (which I'm)
I can see how the pie thing is annoying to some people like the Denny Neagle train whistle was annoying. I'm no fan of choreographed celebrations myself, but at this point, AJ can't not do it, right? Cervelli earned his pie, it would've looked like a diss to the kid if he didnt get served.
[19] Agreed. I can't compare it to the train whistle because I always got the sense that for all his "hey guys I'm just a wacky, zany southpaw!!" antics, Neagle was really just a miserable sumnabitch putting on a show for the cameras.
and this is before we learned about his penchant for prostitue beating.
[17] What???
[17] Then I recommend he watch the MLB Network :)
Didn't last night's win make you feel like the Yanks were coalescing as a team. I've missed that feeling I had about the Yanks since 2002, but last night rekindled somethin' for me at least. You feelin' it?