Hello, dear Reader. I am in Seattle. The Yankees are in Seattle. This is not coincidence.
Mariano Rivera, arguably the greatest closer in Major League Baseball, sits at 599 all-time saves. He already has the record for saves in the postseason.
Right now, the Yankees are beating the snot-wads out of the Mariners, on Free Ichiro T-shirt night. My Free Ichiro T-shirt lies folded on the floor next to the bag of other shirts bought at/before the game. If you have read any of my blogs before, then you know I am a Yankees fan. However, tonight, I am not happy at the Yankee victory. Why am I not happy at the victory?
The Yankees play Seattle tonight, tomorrow, and Wednesday. I really only feasibly get to see the Yankees when they come to Seattle, and not often at that. In fact, tonight was my first Yankees/Mariners game ever. Don't get me wrong, I wanted a victory for the Yankees. I just didn't want a 9-3 victory for the Yankees.
Again, Mariano Rivera sits at 599 saves. The all-time saves record is Trevor Hoffman's at 601. Do the math, I'll wait....Yeah. If the Yankees had beaten the Mariners in three close games (fewer than three runs difference), then Mariano Rivera would have pitched in all three games, for just the ninth inning each time. Those three innings, assuming Mo didn't have a blown save (of which he has five this season in 45 opportunities), then tonight I would have witnessed 600. Tomorrow 601, and Wednesday 602. I would have seen the second man to make 600 saves in history, the second man to make 601 saves in history, and the first man to make 602 saves in history. I have no doubt that Mariano will break the all time saves record this season. But now, I won't be there to see it. I hope to see 600, meaning I hope to see a) the Yankees win, and b) the Yankees win small.
Tonight was the best scenario to see Yankee small ball. The Mariners had their ace, Felix Hernendez, on the mound. Felix had beaten the Yankees five of the last six times he faced them. Even the one of those six was a no-decision, not a loss. The Yankees were sending Phil Hughes, who has been shaky all year after having a great 2010. If Felix continued to be the Yankee killer and Hughes continued to struggle with his velocity, then it would be a close game...possibly even a Yankee loss.
Through four, it was a close game. At the bottom of the fourth inning it was tied up at 1. I'm thrilled. It is a good ball game, each pitcher is doing well. Hernendez struck out the side in the first inning. The only hiccup in my plan was when I looked at the scoreboard after a first inning Hughes pitch...93 MPH...shit. Hughes wasn't struggling with his velocity. He was throwing strikes and making the Mariners swing and pop up. He was getting outs. It's okay. It's still 1-1.
Then the Yankees batted in the fifth. And batted, and batted, DUCK!!! IT'S A MARK TEXIERA HOMER! DUCK IT'S A DICKERSON HOMER!! Wait, a Dickerson homer??? How often has that happened....oh, cool, I just witnessed Chris Dickerson's first career homer. By the end of the fifth, there was no longer a save opportunity unless the Mariners staged a remarkable comeback.
Hughes continued to stifle the M's hitters. Granderson, Jeter, Cano, and the rest continued to make catches and get outs. The M's didn't stage their remarkable comeback. They didn't get to within three runs of the Yankees. They didn't close to within five runs of the Yankees. Rivera would not be making an appearance. I wouldn't see 600 tonight. I wouldn't be present for 602.
Here's the conflict. I wanted the Yankees to win. They did. For once, I didn't want them to put the game out of reach early. I didn't want to see an old-fashioned curb stomping. Usually I love a good route. One of my favorite games of all time was Jordan's Bulls holding Utah to a record low in points while having every Bull who dressed score. I didn't want the route. I was disappointed with the win.
How can I be disappointed with the win? I saw my favorite team play. I saw Derek Jeter's fielding. I witnessed evidence that makes me further recall an earlier post in which I called for Jeter's retirement. I ate crow all over again as The Captain made a bunch of great plays (one outrunning Ichiro...Ichiro! to second). He fielded a fly ball while running out into left field when it looked certain that it would drop for a base hit. He made an athletic move to his left to snag a ball destined for a centerfield base hit. I witnessed future hall of famer greatness again for the first time since 2007 when I saw Jeter play in The Bronx.
I saw a Texiera home run. I saw the first Chris Dickerson homer. I witnessed a Yankee victory that put them up four games over the cursed Red Sox, putting the Sox closer to third (the Rays only trail Boston by three games) than first. There are only 16 games left in the season. If the Yankees win five and the Red Sox lose four, the Yankees take the division. If the Yankees win nine more games, they win the division no matter what Boston does. Why am I not happy?
The only reason that I am not happy is because I didn't get to see my favorite current Yankee play. I won't be present to see him make history.
But I found myself somehow rooting against my team. The team that I had never rooted against before in my life. That, dear Reader, is what doesn't make me happy.
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