10.05.2005
Robinson Cano was standing at the plate in the first inning Tuesday night, living out the dream of every kid who's ever aspired to October greatness. There he was, facing the Angels' Bartolo Colon with the bases loaded, fighting off the kind of fastball that'd doomed most of the American League all summer.
With a 1-2 count, Cano was drowning, too. Colon was lighting up the radar gun at 95-mph, pouring in one fastball after another, essentially telling the rookie: I Dare You.
Everyone in the ballpark knew another heater was on the way, too, which is why Cano took a deep breath and geared up for an old-fashioned playoff war. This was Game One of the AL Division Series, and if the karma between two teams can be decided in one game, then it's not impossible to say one at-bat can change the course of the post-season, too.
Want to know why the Yankees beat the Angels, 4-2 Tuesday night? Why they might just avoid their worst nightmare in this series, having to make another west coast trip to play Game Five?
It's because of what Cano did after the count was evened at 2-2. He met Colon's outer-half fastball dead-on, crushing it to left and sending it screaming over Garret Anderson's head, giving the Yankees an instant 3-0 lead.
[bob klapisch]
Labels: yanquis
