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New York Yankees: 14th ALCS berth
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MIKE AND THE MAD DOG — REACT TO THE YANKEES SURVIVING DETROIT
(Imagine the theme music hits… Mike breathing heavy… Dog ready to bark.)
MIKE: “Alright, Chris, lemme start with this. The Yankees survive. They survive, Chris. Eight to three over Detroit, they move on, and listen — maybe, JUST maybe, without Cleveland standin’ in the way, the Yankees can finally get themselves back to the World Series. Because you know it, I know it — that’s the team that has tortured them for YEARS.”
DOG: “MIKEY! FOURTEEN ALCS APPEARANCES! EIGHT IN A ROW! THAT’S ABSURD! I mean listen, I don’t care if it’s 1927, 2027, whatever — the Yankees in the ALCS is like the sun risin’ in the east. It’s automatic. And this Kawazu kid? OH! MIKE! HE’S BABE RUTH OUT THERE!”
MIKE: “Chris, Chris — the numbers are ridiculous. Four home runs in the series. Twelve driven in. A .500 average. I mean honestly, this guy looked like he was taking batting practice against Detroit’s pitching. And Garcia? The Detroit starter? Chris, he didn’t fool anybody. The Yankees were on him from pitch one.”
DOG: “HE STUNK, MIKE! FOUR INNINGS! FIVE RUNS! BALLS FLYIN’ ALL OVER THE BALLPARK! And don’t even get me started on Detroit’s defense. They finally get some momentum in the series and then come into Yankee Stadium and just fall apart. They needed a perfect game to beat this Yankee team — they didn’t get it.”
MIKE: “Now look, Barrios was solid. Seven innings. Didn’t have his best command, but he battled. And Gonzalez shuts the door. Workmanlike performance from the staff. But the headline — no question — is the Yankee lineup. Top to bottom. Kim. Rivera. Kawazu. Ruiz. Centeno. Chris, everybody contributed.”
DOG: “AND NOW, MIKE — NOW YOU WAIT ON SEATTLE OR TORONTO! You’d LOVE Toronto because the Yankees OWN them — OWN THEM — but Seattle? MIKE, SEATTLE SCARES YOU. THAT TEAM WINS 102 GAMES FOR A REASON.”
MIKE: “Chris, I’m gonna tell you right now: the Yankees should WANT Seattle. Because if you’re gonna get to that World Series after eight straight ALCS appearances, you want to go through the best. And Seattle is the best.”
DOG: “OH STOP, MIKE! STOP IT! You don’t want Castillo, Kirby, the whole deal! No Yankee fan wants that! You want the Blue Jays! That's a five-game beatdown!”
MIKE: “Chris, it doesn’t matter. The Yankees are rolling. This is as confident a Yankee team as you’ve seen in years.”
DOG: “ONE MORE POINT, MIKE — WITHOUT THE INDIANS IN THE WAY? THIS IS THEIR SHOT. EVERY YEAR CLEVELAND TRIPS ‘EM UP. NOT THIS TIME! THIS IS IT! YOU GOTTA GET TO THE WORLD SERIES, YANKEES!!!”
MIKE: “Agreed. No excuses now. None.”
Theme music hits… fade to commercial.
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