Last week it was electrifying to watch Mariano swing and smack a line drive into center field. The fans went berserk and his often-stoic teammates jumped up and down in the dugout like little-leaguers. Afterwards we watched the replays more than once, enthralled at the image of Mariano, the Yankee pitching superstar, the sandman, in such an unfamiliar role. It was almost as if we were watching ourselves just for a moment. What it would be like if one of us had the chance to grab a bat and step into the box, just once, to do the unthinkable.
Yesterday, Mariano made it twice. With the bases loaded and two outs, Mo stepped into the box. He had been brought in for the 8th inning and a 4 out save, which we were hoping would be his 500th. K-Rod stood on the mound. He'd been summoned to keep the score at 3-2 and give the Mets a chance to win in the bottom of the 9th.
But his first two pitches were outside. The third was a strike down the middle, as Mariano checked his swing ever so slightly. Now it was clear that K-Rod would put Rivera to the test. His 4th delivery was a wicked curve that caught the outside of the plate for strike two. The 5th was a blazing fastball down the middle and Mariano swung, barely getting a piece of it. But the 6th offering was high. Mariano laid off. And the seventh pitch, a monstrous cutting fastball...sailed high and tight. Jeterlike, Mo bent straight backwards at the waist, as if he were doing the limbo. Ball 4. And with the first RBI of his career, Mariano took his glorious walk to first base. 4-2 Yankees.
In the bottom of the 9th Mariano Rivera finished off the Mets to get his 500th save and secure the sweep and 5-1 Subway Series domination in 2009. But we'll always remember this as a day we saw a great Yankee player, one of the greatest ever at his role, do that which was so unfamiliar...and come through in the clutch against another great pitcher. Not because he was the most skilled or the most confident. But because Mariano gets the job done when it matters most.
That's Yankee baseball.
Yesterday, Mariano made it twice. With the bases loaded and two outs, Mo stepped into the box. He had been brought in for the 8th inning and a 4 out save, which we were hoping would be his 500th. K-Rod stood on the mound. He'd been summoned to keep the score at 3-2 and give the Mets a chance to win in the bottom of the 9th.
But his first two pitches were outside. The third was a strike down the middle, as Mariano checked his swing ever so slightly. Now it was clear that K-Rod would put Rivera to the test. His 4th delivery was a wicked curve that caught the outside of the plate for strike two. The 5th was a blazing fastball down the middle and Mariano swung, barely getting a piece of it. But the 6th offering was high. Mariano laid off. And the seventh pitch, a monstrous cutting fastball...sailed high and tight. Jeterlike, Mo bent straight backwards at the waist, as if he were doing the limbo. Ball 4. And with the first RBI of his career, Mariano took his glorious walk to first base. 4-2 Yankees.
In the bottom of the 9th Mariano Rivera finished off the Mets to get his 500th save and secure the sweep and 5-1 Subway Series domination in 2009. But we'll always remember this as a day we saw a great Yankee player, one of the greatest ever at his role, do that which was so unfamiliar...and come through in the clutch against another great pitcher. Not because he was the most skilled or the most confident. But because Mariano gets the job done when it matters most.
That's Yankee baseball.
Projection for this road trip: 4-5
Result: 6-3 (Projection exceeded by two games)
Games remaining: 0
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