Sunday, May 4, 2014

Streak now at 32: Thank you, Mr. T

Yesterday, in the early innings, a Tampa Ray hit a low line-drive that nearly knocked Masahiro Tanaka's cleats to Bayonne. In that moment, the 2014 Yankee season, life on planet earth, and time itself - all were suspended.

In my head, a toilet flushed.

Imagine Tanaka going out for, say, a month. Just consider the implications...

No. Let's not.

Right now, the Yankees have one cool element of pride in their favor. They're not the defending champs. We won't field a batting title or a home run crown. We're treading water, waiting for McCann to hit and Pineda to heal - so we can know what the hell they are.

But every fifth day, we can rally around Masahiro Tanaka in pursuit of another win.

MLB still lists Carl Hubbell's 24 game winning streak as the all-time longest. Fine. But that happened in 1937. Tanaka is doing the impossible, and if the Yankees can string seven or eight more victories onto it, this country will start recognizing his achievement. Considering how this guy has saved our butts this season, it's the least we can do.

Thirty two wins. Thirty two wins. Thirty two wins. (I can imagine Bruce Springsteen singing those lyrics.) Five games from now, onward to thirty-three!

1 comment:

ceeja said...

This guy is the real deal. He's the one pitcher on this team who could play on the 1998 club. He shows the kind of guts we used to see from Cone, El Duque, and Pettite: he'll win without his best stuff.

He's got to be completely shocked by the way the MLB players will hit mistakes out of the park. But it does not phase him and he just bears down.

I'd like to see a 20-0 season.