Game 138: Working Class Hero

It might be Labor Day but unlike most of you, the Yankees will be putting in extra work today with a day/night double header against the Rays. The Yankees haven't seen the Rays since the end of July and as a result they still have 7 games remaining against them in the season series, the next four at home and a three game set to close out the regular season in Tampa from October 2nd - 4th. The Yankees hold the edge in the season set 6-5 as of now but it could tip pretty heavily either way depending on how these last 7 match ups go.

The Rays are quite unlikely to make the postseason at this point, trailing the Red Sox by 7 in the Wild Card standings with 26 games remaining and only 3 head to head meetings with the Sox. It would seem they are resigned to their fate, given that they shipped Scott Kazmir to the Angels for minor leaguers just before the waiver trade deadline hit. Despite numerous pundits picking the Rays to finished ahead of either the Yanks or the Sox or both this year, they never lead the AL East and currently trail the Yanks by 14.5 games.

Former Twin and consummate asshole Matt Garza takes the hill for the Rays today. He started against Joba Chamberlain in the last game contested between the two teams and was fined after he admitted that he intentionally hit Mark Teixeira in the shoulder with a 94 MPH fastball in retaliation for Evan Longoria being brushed back earlier in the game and hit earlier in the series. Garza is sporting a pretty solid 4.01 ERA but has won only one game in his past 11 starts watching his record fall to 7-9.

CC Sabathia will toe the rubber first for the Yanks today. Over his last 6 starts he's been everything the Yanks could ask for and then some, rocking a 1.83 ERA, striking out 53(!), walking just 7(!!) and averaging over 7 1/3 innings per start. He's picked up 5 decisions during that time and has put himself in position to chase 20 wins as the season winds down. He better get going those because he needs 4 more and probably has six more starts to go. The big man's ERA is about a run and a half higher during daytime starts this year, but September is has been his best month throughout his career.

Making his triumphant return to the Yankees after hitting the DL with a broken thumb and making the line up 11.1111% hustle-y-er in the process, is the one and only, the gritty and gutty, the scrappy and feisty... Brett Gardner, ladies and gentlemen! He'll be making the start in CF for the first game, getting his jersey dirty and doing the little things that help the team win. (Otherwise known as being short and white.)

While most people celebrate Labor Day by not working, the Yanks will be rolling up their sleeves twice as high and their getting hands twice as dirty, in the city where the very first Labor Day in the States was ever celebrated. Heroic, I say.

There's room at the top they are telling you still,
But first you must learn how to smile as you kill,
If you want to be like the folks on the hill.

A working class hero is something to be.

Just In Case You Didn't Already Love Nick Swisher...

...Here is a screen grab of him striking out Gabe Kapler in the bottom of the 8th inning last night.

After Swish got Carlos Pena to pop up for the 2nd out, and they panned over to Tony Pena and Joe Girardi on the bench trying to hide their chuckles behind the dugout railing, and David Cone said, "This is one of those nights where you have to laugh to keep from crying". It was 15-5 Tampa, and Swisher was taking one for the team, as the options in the bullpen were almost totally exhausted.

In stark contrast to Chien Ming Wang who looked distraught and overwhelmed while surrendering five runs in the first inning and three more before after pulled in the 2nd, Swish was lobbing 75mph "fastballs" and laughing all the way to a scoreless frame. He gave up a walk and a hit to start it off, but retired the next three batters he faced. He was working quickly and changing his arm angle, reminiscent of Cone's playing days.

I sat on the couch last night, flipping back forth between the Yanks and Mets game, thinking about how often baseball frames your life. How many times have you had a sort of strange and shitty day, only to come home and have your team play the same? Then once in a while, something happens in a game that makes those two things intertwine. Yesterday was one of those occurrences, because by the time I watched Swisher leave the mound, his big smile obscured by the even bigger lipper he was packing, I didn't think the day was so bad.