Yankees win a wild one – with a wild pitch?

Visits: 7

Ok, I’ve grown up with baseball and can still remember most of the New York Yankees lineup from the 1977 and 78 World Series, let alone remember the greatness of the Jeter era (ball flip, anyone?)  But this past Wednesday night I have to say I saw one of the craziest and unlikely endings to a ball game with the Yankees finishing up 7-6 against the visiting Cincinnati Reds.

The New York Yankees keep finding new ways to garner walk-off wins this season.

The Yankees were able to pull off a come from behind victory against the Reds this past Wednesday.  After stellar performer Clay Holmes had a bit of a nuclear meltdown and hit two batters in ninth winning while sitting on a comfortable 3-0 and then losing the game 4-3, anything is possible in the Bronx.  This game did not bode well early on when Luis Severino had shoulder issues and surrendered three home runs in a row – yes folks, in a row.  By now, Yankee fans watching the game on television might have been tempted to sneak a peak at other games or go find something else to watch since the Bombers were obviously out of this one to the Reds who sit in last place in the NL Central.

As the old saying goes, “don’t touch that dial!”  Boy, if you did, you missed a crazy ending to a game.  With the game tied up 6-6 after the end of the ninth, the Yankees and Reds ended into extra innings.  The Reds couldn’t produce anything in their half of the tenth (despite aiming for the fences) and then the Yankees started out the bottom of the tenth with DJ LeMahieu sitting on second base as the “ghost” runner.  Aaron Judge came up swinging for the fences and got chopped down to size via an inglorious strikeout and the Reds decided to load up the bases by intentionally walking Anthony Rizzo.  With runners at first and second, Giancarlo Stanton entered the batter’s box to the cheers of the Bronx faithful but never got the chance to do anything.

Stanton fell behind on the count and normally steady Reds reliever Alexis Diaz uncharacteristically threw a wild pitch which advanced both LaMahieu to third and Rizzo to second.  OK, pitchers in pressure situations can throw the wild one here and there.  One the very next  pitch, Diaz threw an untamed slider and wouldn’t you know it  –DJ LaMahieu came flying down the third base line, slid into home and just like that – the Yankees earned their 11^th walk-off of the season.  LaMahieu earned himself a well-deserved 34^th birthday present by finishing off an absolutely improbable game with an even more improbable walk-off win.  I’m sure that many Yankees fans are still shaking their heads over this win but as the old Nike commercial used to say: “just win baby.”