Game 38: Scoring late in the game

I heard Paul O’Neill say this, I think, back in 2005. The Yanks were getting blown out by the Sox in Fenway. They scored a few runs in the ninth, though, including an A-Rod bomb, and the score ended up 9-4 or something like that. O’Neill noted that it was a good sign for the next day when a team scored late in a blowout. Something about them showing signs of life.

Not being one for weak anecdotal evidence, I wrote off Paul pretty quickly. But sure enough, they won the next day. So I started taking note of such situations. Every time the Yanks scored in the 9th inning when they were down big, they won the next day. Of course, this is only in the times that I actually made the observation. Clearly, I might have missed a few instances. But in any case, it gives me high hopes for today.

Darrell Rasner takes the mound again. The Tigers are no Mariners, though, so he’ll need to be a bit more on his game to get through this lineup. Jeremy Bonderman is on the other side. He shut us down last time out, even though we had him on the ropes early on, but let him off the hook.

The lineup:

1. Johnny Damon, LF
2. Derek Jeter, SS
3. Bobby Abreu, RF
4. Hideki Matsui, DH
5. Jason Giambi, 1B
6. Melky Cabrera, CF
7. Robinson Cano, 2B
8. Wilson Betemit, 3B
9. Chad Moeller, C

And on the mound, Darrell Rasner.