We Got A Series

I'm sure every Yankee fan watching last night's game around the middle innings was thinking that the season was over, especially as skeptical as Yankee fans can be. Here we go again — Gray is actually pitching one of his good days and once again we can't get any run support. We're going to go another game with getting little to no numbers on the board and go down three games to one. There is no coming back from that. 

Then the man that has been working the count full only to strike out seemingly every at-bat decides he wants to be the biggest man, not only on the field, but of the moment. It really is moments like these that are crucial to a player's development and growth, especially a particular player like Judge, who has been swinging for the streets one minute, then whiffing like a blind person the next. It is hard to be consistent in baseball and that's why having Judge focus on the task at hand and come up big in those big moments is becoming increasingly important with each at-bat in the postseason.

It wasn't just Judge who rose to the occasion, but the other Baby Bomber as well. Gary has been just as bad offensively it seems. The interesting thing is that both of these young stars have done pretty bad until there's a big moment where they have to shine.

So after the mountain hits the homer to put the Yanks on the board, in the 7th when they really start to rally, Judge decides to shine in an even bigger situation when he hits a near home run (off of a fan before hitting the wall). This brings a couple of runners home to tie the game and sends every Yankee fan into either stoic shock or utter madness. The latter of which, was the type of state I was in as I watched from my chair (my spot) in my room at home. 

If that little dinker of a hit wasn't enough, the aforementioned El Gary comes up and hits one into the gap that could only be described as a hit that would bring an even more unworldly reaction from fans; that brought, not only the game, but the whole series to another level as two more runs came home. Now with the lead, suddenly everything turned around. Sad tears turned into joyful ones — everyone started high-fiving other fans they didn't know — AND, fans started believing Joe Girardi is finally the manager to bring us back to the good ole days — just kidding.

But really — if a banger of a game like this doesn't get you up and excited for the [oh so brilliantly] planned 5:00pm game today, I don't know what will.

There's one last note about Headley that needs to be recognized. He's another that has not produced and even when he did last night, he nearly cost his club the couple more runs that they needed. The play when he hit the ball into the outfield and slipped as he tried to get to second base was just another play, and a more lucky rather than skillful one, that helped to bridge the gap between making this great comeback. 

Who knows if the Yankees will even win another game this postseason. Either way, after last night, you have to be a true believer that anything can happen. It was a prime example of why we watch the game at all — to get to those special moments that connect all the way to thee moment at the end. That's what it's all about. So whether you're watching live or picking up on it later at night, sit back and enjoy what little we may have left of a Yankees baseball game. Lets get it boys!

Source photo credit: Abbie Parr / Getty Images | si.com