A Wonderful Day

Camden Yards! What a ballpark! Lots of history, even more atmosphere, and a tremendous ball game in the offing. At press time, it’s 4-2 Mets against the Orioles and Pelfrey’s just starting to get into trouble in the sixth, this after striking out Brian Roberts with the bases loaded to end the fifth. But Pelfrey induces the easy double play, Castillo to Cora to Murphy. Not exactly Tinker to Evers to Chance.

It’s a little difficult to get into this inter-league play, especially when it produces matchups like this one. Not that there’s anything wrong with the Orioles, but the names in the lineup don’t exactly roll off your tongue. (And here comes Manuel to get Pelfrey outta there).

Up north a hundred miles or so at the new Yankee Stadium, inter-league play gives us the scary-bad Washington Nationals versus the Yanks. Incredibly enough, halfway through the game, the Nats have a 3-2 lead off an Anderson Hernandez home run of the three-run variety. Mets fans will recall the light-hitting Hernandez and continue to wonder at the ease of stroking the dingers at the Yanks new digs.

So it’s a good night. The temperature’s around 60, but it feels like warmer than that, perfect baseball weather for a night game. It’s now 8:58 PM and it seems as if the sun just went down, slowly closing the shutters on what has been a beautiful day, especially for a guy who’s not in love with hot weather.

Back to the Mets game and the Birds are taking their starter out too. So rather than watch still another ad, I see it’s the 7th and C.C. is still mowing them down. Big man, Sabathia, especially on the close-ups. Big glove, big body, big stretch, and a big heart too judging from his performances over the years.

But as I can’t bring myself to watch the rest of the 7th-inning ceremonies, it’s back to the Metsies, who have now chased the horrible O’s reliever, the lefty who faced two lefties and put both of them on-base. So things look good in Mudville. It’s bases-loaded for Beltran against new reliever Danys Baez. But Beltran grounds into a force at home. Uh-oh, maybe another wasted opportunity in the offing. Maybe Wright can save the day…maybe not. Wright has now fouled a few into the dirt before popping one up.

But the Mets catch a Luis Castillo moment that works against the other side as the Orioles muff the pop-up. So it’s now 6-2 and that’ll probably be the end of things with Church up, and sure as the sun will shine tomorrow, Church grounds out to third.

Manuel is fielding my worst nightmare of a lineup tonight, with Church and Schneider both in the game at the expense of Tatis and Santos. What a bad trade-off that is, even if Church did manage an RBI earlier. Even Church can get a hit once in a while.

Back to the Yankees, they’re now up by a run and Robinson Cano, who’s 4-4 tonight, just drove in Teixeira with the go-ahead run. What a find Teixeira has been! Everybody talks about the return of Arod and with good reason. Teixeira’s been on fire ever since, and he now leads the American League in homers.

Back to the Mets and my other doghouse guy is up there, Schneider. Omigosh! He strokes a double to go with a single and a walk. Holy cow, I might have to revise my opinion a little. Santos can’t play every day, I guess.

It’s the 8th now at the Yankees bandbox of a field and Sabathia’s now outta there. Kaye has just asked whether the bullpen can save the game, and it wasn’t a rhetorical question, not in this context. The Yanks bullpen has really been awful, it’s too nice of a night to say they’ve stunk, so I’ll anxiously await the result. Hopefully, they’ll throw Bruney in there and, wonder of wonders, they do.

Whew! A 96 mph fastball gets by Zimmerman for strike two. But another fireball gets fouled into the seats, Zimmerman’s catching up. Then one out of the strikezone and then a ground ball that Cano races down in the hole. I must say Cano has been excellent tonight too. I haven’t really been in his corner all year but he’s making me sorry.

If there’s a theme to the night, it may be that I’ve been wrong about all these guys, Church, Schneider, Cano…..I hope it’s true. If so, the Mets can maybe climb back in the race, if not for the NL East crown, maybe the wildcard, as the SF Giants now lead four or five teams in the hunt for that fourth playoff spot.

As for Cano, the Yanks look strong enough to get some playoff spot, with or without Cano. My favorite Yankee’s up at the plate now, but he just took strike two on a pitch that was well outside the strike zone. So things don’t look good for the Swish.

Swisher just advanced Gardner to third. Maybe Melky will have some luck and get C.C. that insurance run. Of course, going into the 9th now, Mariano Rivera may not need it.

Back to the Mets again and, lo and behold, it’s Church up yet again with runners on first and third. But he fends off a tough outside pitch by flying out weakly to left. Hmm, maybe I’m not that wrong about him. He’s really been pitiful all year at the plate and shows very little real sign of coming out of it.

Bobby Parnell’s in there now for the Mets in the ninth. And Mora’s up, one of the more recognizable Birds. He strokes one to right that Church lets bounce in front of him. Now another base hit makes it two on with nobody out. Here comes K-Rod in what nas now become a save situation.

Put both games in the books. K-Rod comes through. It is a wonderful day.