|
Ohhh BABY! You’re tellin’ me the Rangers — MY Rangers — marched into that dump on the Island, UBS Arena, Game 1 of the freakin’ Conference Finals, and lit those frauds UP? Fuhgeddaboudit! I mean — come on! Mark Grubin? Are you kiddin’ me? This guy — this guy’s got ice in his veins and a Louisville Slugger for a spine. Grand slam in the seventh? Are you SERIOUS!?
Listen, I got agita just thinking about how shaky it looked early. You’re goin’ through five innings, it’s like, "C’mon, boys, let’s go already!" But then, top of the seventh, bases loaded, tie game — boom. Grubin takes Taylor Nance, who I always said was overrated by the way, and sends one to freakin’ Ronkonkoma. And now it’s 7-3 Rangers, and the building’s quieter than a library on Yom Kippur. BEAUTIFUL.
Let me tell you something else — you want a blueprint for a clutch postseason lineup? This is it. You got Kosmo Kramer hitting bombs. You got Will Cuylle lacing doubles. Bliebernicht — this kid’s got a name like a Bond villain and he’s hittin’ lasers. And of course, you got the Grubins — plural — doin’ damage like it’s a family reunion in the Bronx. And that blast from A. Grubin in the ninth? Salt. In. The. Wound.
And don’t get me started on the Islander fans. Oh they showed up all right — 43,000 loud mouths with flags and chants and all that garbage — and they left in silence. Look, I’m not sayin’ it’s over. I’m not an idiot. But this is what you call a STATEMENT WIN, folks. You go on the road, in enemy territory, and you drop nine runs with just seven hits? That’s capital-B baseball right there.
Now — S. Gi-Hun? Gimme a freakin’ break. The guy was mowing ‘em down like Koufax out there — 13 strikeouts? That’s a video game stat. The Islanders didn’t have an answer till the sixth inning. And yeah, the bullpen got a little dicey — Diaz gives up a solo shot, Vera lets in two late — but you know what? When you put up a nine spot, you got room for a little turbulence, alright?
Also, can we talk about Taylor Nance? Seven walks. SEVEN! Also plunked two batters. I mean, how’s that guy still breathing on a mound in the Conference Finals? And that bullpen? Rios, van de Kuilen, Ramirez? That’s not a relief corps, that’s a clown car.
Anyway — bottom line — Rangers up 1-0, baby. We got Game 2 tomorrow night, same place. You steal two on the road? Now you’re talkin’ parade routes down the Canyon of Heroes.
One game at a time though. Let’s not get nuts. But this one?
OH BABY.
LET’S. GO. RANGERS.
|