With the score tied at 2-2 and another tense contest at the Trop today, it was entirely possible the Yankees would get swept. But Alfonso Soriano came to the rescue with that double in the 11th, then the steal, aided and abetted by terrific relief work by Logan, Robertson and Mo and excellent defense from Cano and Granderson. Whew.
David Cone on YES had the line of the day when he said, as A-Rod stepped up to pinch hit and the crowd at the Trop livened up to boo him, “Now batting: Darth Vader.” LOL.
No one looked more relieved to win that one than Girardi who, as Granderson maneuvered to make that catch to end the game, could be seen saying, “Come on, Grandy. Come on, Grandy.” Hopefully, Joe can relax a little on the flight to Toronto. He sure made me nervous when he brought Joba in to pitch in that tie situation instead of in his usual mop-up role and promptly gave up a lead-off walk.
Finally, after two disappointing games, a happy ending. It may mean nothing but it definitely beats losing.
People, this is not over, not by a longshot. We still have 32 games left in this season, more than half of which are against either the Sox or the Orioles or the Rays. We can do this! At the very least we are in the running for a wildcard but even the division title is not beyond our grasp. I know it would require a lot of winning on our part and a lot of losing on their parts but it is possible. Admittedly we Shefans have no control over this situation and can only sit back and watch but let’s watch with hopeful hearts. What a story this season will make when we pull this off!
You’re very optimistic and I appreciate that, Audrey. I hope you’re right and we can all celebrate when the Yanks secure that wild card spot. But what worries me is the very thing you mentioned: playing our division rivals. I’d rather play the Indians, against whom we’ve had a lot of success, and knock them out of the running. The Sox, Orioles and Rays are a handful.
Soriano is no spring chicken anymore, but what he has learned about the game makes him a bigger piece of the puzzle than he would have been when he was younger and faster than he is now. No, this season is not over yet. They just have to keep winning games, that’s all. All of us Yankees fans’ hearts are going to be pounding for the rest of the season, but you never know. GO YANKEES!!!
Jane, I got such a chuckle out of your title for this post and the photo of the Rays she-fans with the brooms! We have to find something to laugh about this season. Right? And while I agree with your trepidation about our guys playing their division rivals, I really want to be cautiously optimistic like Audrey. We’ve got our captain coming back tonight (hopefully) and anything can happen in the next month.
Cautiously optimistic, Diane and Deborah. That’s the way to go!