Bronx, N.Y., September 1, 2010 — The Yankees may not have cashed in their place in the 2010 postseason yet, and who could blame them, as they cling to the smallest of leads in the American League East? The team is still trying to settle on a reliable rotation, and hasn’t played with their All Star third baseman in two weeks. But up in the Grandstand, the fans are thinking playoffs, and Wednesday night we got a lesson in playoff baseball 101.

We flunked, of course, as vast numbers of the fans in the uppest deck revealed that they had no idea that a game the Yankees led 4-0 in the second could ever be in danger of being a loss. How else can you possibly explain the need to fight their way through a wave with the tying run on base in the fifth inning? If you’re getting that that phenomenon was upsetting to a fan who actually attends these to watch the best at the sport play baseball, well, good for you.

But here’s the surprise. It wasn’t all that bad. This is because watching this game with the tying run on base became a night-long avocation, so I guess I’m glad that they got it out of their systems fairly early. This game, with a healthy lead at one time, became a nailbiter half way in, and never changed thereafter. The ultrahot Mark Teixeira doubled in Derek Jeter in the first, then singled in two more runs in a three-run second, and the Yanks were on their way.

That the last three runs of the 4-0 Yankee lead were unearned because of lefthander Brett Anderson’s error on a hustling Jeter’s two-out roller is unimportant, at least to everyone but the Oakland southpaw. But that the Yanks, despite twice getting two on and three times getting one aboard the next six frames, would not score again, set the stage for the tense battle that followed.

AJ Burnett had a great start, really, retiring nine of the first 11 A’s batter despite surrendering a walk and single in the first. He had a sharp fastball and worked in a falling-off-the-table curve to garner eight strike outs through six innings. His 14 of 25 first pitch strikes through six were good, and the 57/52 strikes/balls ratio better. He coaxed 13 swings and misses, largely on the curve, to get the eight Ks. Following his recent troubles, two walks and six hits through six innings were more than acceptable. But two of those hits — a Kevin Kouzmanoff two-run homer in the fourth and Rajai Davis’s leadoff double one frame later — closed the score to 4-3. AJ got an easy fly to left to close the fifth and his last two strike outs around a Mark Ellis single in the sixth to hand the lead to the bullpen.

And that’s where the game got playoff-like, even if that thought permeated the stands and not the dugout. The back of the pen has been very good now for more than a month, and they were tonight as well, but at a cost. Joba Chamberlain took the pill in the seventh, pounding mid-nineties heat to a strike out and two quick outs, but the A’s answered with back-to-back singles, with the tying run on third. This tense scene dispersed quickly, as Kurt Suzuki flied to left on the next pitch.

Boone Logan whiffed Jack Cust to start the top of the eighth, and Kerry Wood coaxed a bouncer back to the box, but Ellis’s third straight single and an eight-pitch walk to Jeff Larish reset a tense stadium scene. Six pitches in Davis finally bounced to Jeter, and the stadium crowd sigh of satisfaction was palpable.

Even the one and only Mariano Rivera couldn’t shut the A’s down quietly, though Captain Jeter did all he could to end the ninth one-two-three. Mo coaxed a bouncer to first, then flagged down Coco Crisp’s hot shot up the middle himself for two quick outs. First baseman Daric Barton bounced a 1-2 pitch up the middle, and Jeter made a fine grab, wheel and throw, but Barton barely beat it. In a strange twist, Jorge Posada had hit for Francisco Cervelli in the Yankee eighth, objected to home plate ump Dana DeMuth’s strike three call, and was tossed. So newly promoted vet Chad Moeller caught Mo in the ninth. Chad made no throw when Barton broke for second on a 1-2 pitch to Suzuki. Moeller looked indifferent, but this was anything but defensive indifference, because the tying run crossed into scoring position.

But two fouls later, Suzuki swung and missed, and although the crowd failed in general at this early class in playoff baseball 101, we did survive five straight frames with the tying run lurking on base.

I won’t be typing these words again, but thank you to the wavers. Thanks for getting the mindless diversion from baseball over early this time.

BTW,TYW
YANKEE BASEBALL!!!