The tension was palpable. The air was thick with anticipation. Insert random cliche. Two outs, only the bottom of the fifth, but the clock was winding down. Less than a minute to go. The winning run was on first. I needed a solid triple to end it. Derek's legs have not been there for him in a while, he is facing off-season knee surgery. I really have to muscle up to get him all the way home. I haven't been getting the ball out of the infield lately. The pressure was almost too much to bear. I worked the count, took a ball, then a strike, fouled one off, took another ball. The seconds were checking down...10...9...8...7...the ball floated in, I didn't like it, it was outside but too close to take...I swung...
Foul Ball! Strike Three! Time is out! Game over! A Walk-off K! We win 26-13!
Now how many of you can say you have done that?
I also got the game-winning hit, when I knocked in the third run in our runaway twelve run first. And the game really was over then. What would you guys do without me?
Well, that is not really what I wanted to write about. What I really wanted to write about was this - even though everyone has contributed greatly to our 9-0 start with only one left for a perfect regular season, three guys have been carrying us all season...and amazingly they bat 3-4-5 in the lineup.
Cage has been on fire all season long. Need a line drive, there it is. Need a bomb, he serves those up too. He has a fall season record five with one game left. And we won't even talk about his defense in LC.
RB has a chance to catch Cage for the fall home run record. He has four. Tuesday night's was particularly impressive...it was being carried by the wind to left field and still carried over the fence, oppo on field three in left center. It was the three run Jack that finished the twelve run first. His six RBIs gave him 27 for the season. Just call him Superman. Fast than a speeding bullet...more powerful than a ...etc. etc. etc. He is the infusion of youth that put us over the top. RB has already smashed the RBI record for a year, with 60.
Hama is not far behind. He literally can hit it wherever, however, and how far he wants with just about any pitch. He is neck and neck with Cage with 29 and 30 RBIs respectively, good for second and third all time for a season with a game left. Hama helped his cause along with a seven RBI game including a Grand Slam as the game went out of reach for BASBHAT.
All three are hitting between .781 and .758. And that's 86 RBIs from the 3 4 5 spots in the order and the thing is, batting them together means they actually take RBIs away from each other when one or more go yard. And punctuates how much Jason and Timmy get on in front of them.
As a team the record is already impressive:
Team records we have already set:
1. 19 wins in a calendar year. Previous high was 17 in 2005. Remains to be seen if we can get to 21.
2. 9 Wins in a fall season. Previous high was 8-1-1 in 2002.
3. Winning percentage for a year. Currently at .826, best would be .840 (21-4), worst possible is .760, and previous high was .680 in 2005 (17-8).
4. Winning percentage in a season. Currently 1.000, of course best would be 1.000, worst possible is .900, and previous high was .850 in fall 2002.
5. Fewest losses in a year, 4 currently. Previous low was 8 three times. Let's end the year at 4.
With a win next week, we would tie Spring 2005 (10-2) for wins in a season, but this could be the first undefeated season in our history.
It's been a great ride so far, but there is still unfinished business. One more for the perfect regular season. And then Playoff Cotton to win. By the way, the league changed up the format. There will be four teams in the playoffs (the printed schedule has three), and thus we get two games during playoffs, which is perfect for the sluts among us.
And - I may have a surprise for the team on Tuesday.
Quote of the week: "You can't chew up yesterday's breakfast."- Jim Leland, Manager, Detroit Tigers, when asked about losing Game 4 to the A's when they rallied in the ninth for their 15th and final walk-off.
Milestones:
Heffe 10 k (#3)
Mario 10 sf (#4)
RB 10 hr (#5)
D 200 ab (#20)
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