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MIKE: Alright, let’s get to it here on a Tuesday after-noon, New York evens the series, five-one, and Chris, how about the old man? Sal Cantu! Forty-two years old, Fresno, California, probably had the IcyHot cooking in the locker room, and he gives you eight and a third of three-hit baseball with your season basically hangin’ in the balance!
MAD DOG: MIKE! MIKEY! LISTEN—SAL CANTU! THIS GUY! THIS FOSSIL! I MEAN HE GOT KNOCKED AROUND—KNOCKED AROUND!—in the Wild Card! Five good innings, then BOOM, see ya later! And you figure: “Ah, boy, that’s it, he’s done, get the retirement cake ready.” AND THEN HE COMES BACK, GAME TWO OF THE DIVISION SERIES—SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR HE’S DONE THIS!—AND THROWS AN ABSOLUTE GEM! A GEM, MIKE!
MIKE: You gotta give him credit. Veteran presence, knows how to pitch, doesn’t get rattled in the Minute Maid bandbox. You’re down 1-0 in the series, it’s gettin’ late early, as they say, and Sal Cantu says, “Nope, not today.” That is as good a postseason start as you are gonna see from a man who, frankly, was pitching when half this roster was in diapers.
MAD DOG: AND—AND—ALEJANDRO RIVERA! THREE HITS, THREE RBI! THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED, MIKE! You cannot rely on Aaron Judge the entire time, you need the supporting cast! And Rivera steps up, big double in the third, knocks in two, then another hit later—TREMENDOUS! That’s championship baseball!
MIKE: Exactly, Chris. That’s how you win October games. Contributions up and down the lineup, timely hitting, clean fielding—okay, except for Rivera booting that one ball, but he made up for it—and dominant starting pitching. And now? You’re even. You got the split. You’re going back to the Bronx for the next two games with all the momentum.
MAD DOG: THE PLACE IS GONNA BE JUMPIN’, MIKE! JUMPIN’! And if they win Game Three? OHHH BABY, HOUSTON’S IN TROUBLE! They’re in major trouble! But today? Today is about one thing and one thing only—SAL CANTU, THE ANCIENT MARINER, SAVIN’ YOUR SEASON!
MIKE: Yankees in a much better spot than they were 24 hours ago. Great performance, great win. Series tied 1-1. Back home Wednesday. Should be a fun one.
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