Since June, we sorta figured the Yankees would be here. But it's actually been far longer since such a grand moment arrived.
We last won the AL East in 2019 - by seven games - same as this year. If you consider that, back then, we avoided only one miserable Wild Card game - this year, we escaped a series - this is the peachiest perch we've enjoyed since 2009, our last ring, when we won the Division by eight and had home field advantage.
Friends, comrades, amigos... people of the world... THIS IS IT!
This is the culmination of our Win-Warbles, our frantic juju, our comments debates - of Aaron Boone, Cooperstown Cashman, Food Stamps Hal and of the greatest HR chase in our lifetimes. Unless you're old enough to remember the M&M Boys, you have never witnessed a season like this. And you never will again.
With a little luck, these playoffs will take us right up to the midterm elections. A nation on the brink. Maybe the world. Can the Yankees save us? Can they keep us sane?
We have a raft of players returning from injuries. We have emerging stars, already first names - Gleyber, Nestor, Oswaldo - and the game's greatest player, MVP, not even close. Everything is poised for this night, this week, this month...
Should we be scared? Of course! I'm fuckinay terrified! We face MLB's youngest team, by far, one perhaps too ascendant to get the jitters. We have a revamped bullpen, a committee rather than a closer, and a lineup built for defense. Tampa is gone. Toronto is gone. Aroldis is gone. The Mets are gone... they blew a 10.5 game lead - and were they not all year viewed as NYC's better team?
You can't predict baseball, Suzyn, just as you can't predict war, Putin. Sunday's final Mets game was not sold-out, Buck Showalter still has never managed a team to the world series, and Steve Cohen's last tweet, delivered Oct. 5, went: "Are you ready for the playoffs?"
Big game tonight.
I got up at 5:30 today, so I'm hoping to still be awake for the game.
ReplyDeleteStill no lineups or rosters. Guess they'll be up soon...
Terrible performance by Mets fans: just 39,241 for the last game.
ReplyDeleteHope BaBoone ain't got Judge leading off again. I'm going over to the yankee site to check for the lineup right now.
ReplyDeleteI am ready. I even have a ticket, but I will not go. Life emergency making it near impossible. I was hoping to right a post while at the stadium. Instead, I shall blog it all with you tonight.
ReplyDeleteDamnation and fuck. The Guardians are gonna massacre us.
Holy Hell! Just found out BaBoone does have Judge leading off again!
ReplyDeleteWhen Judge hit home run #62 in Texas, he was leading off, so it was a solo homer. Then the Yanks loaded the bases, and they scored no more. So 1-0 after the first. I believe they ended up losing the game too. BaBoone must have hopes and dreams of doing the same in the playoffs. Hit Judge leadoff so that all or most of his homers are solo, and so the Yanks lose the game and the series and go home quick so everyone can go hunting and fishing.