Francoeur takes one for the team...and the win

I thought I'd seen it all.  But a walk-off hit-by-pitch IN FAVOR OF MY RANGERS was not yet checked off.  Thanks Jeff Francoeur and Mariano Rivera for teaming up on that one. I swear I am not making fun of the Yankees or their Hall of Fame-bound closer.  I am also not making fun of Jeff Francoeur's ability to layoff that pitch that grazed his jersey. I'm simply marveling at the moment. 

Looking at the series on paper, it might not look like the "playoffs."  The Rangers will miss the Yankees' big starting guns, and the Yankees won't have to pitch to Josh Hamilton.  Still, there's definitely a playoff feel in that ballpark.  There's a reason Yankees and Rangers fans are fighting in the stands (instead of just the Yankees fans looking down their noses at the "lowly and laughable" Rangers fans).  The fans at home are feeling it too...with fewer bloody noses.

Tonight's game was a real rollercoaster.  It started off great -- the Rangers striking first in the first inning with one run in on a Vlad Guerrero single.  The Yankees countered with two runs in the 2nd, but Texas tied it up again in the 3rd, again on the bat of Guerrero.  The home team took the lead again in the bottom of the 6th, thanks to Francoeur and Elvis Andrus, and the Yankees inched closer again in the 7th, only to be pushed away again in the bottom of that inning when Mitch Moreland pushed a run across home on a single. I was feeling pretty good....and then Matt Harrison allowed a three-run double to Alex Rodriguez.  A three-run double. 

My Rangers seem to have gained some fight as well as some steam in the last few days though.  They weren't giving up.  In the bottom of the 9th, they faced the most formidable closer in the game. And they beat him. Guerrero worked a 3-1 count (how, I'll never know), and Esteban German took over on the bases for him. Nelson Cruz, Friday's hero, singled and German advanced to third. German scored on an Ian Kinsler double that moved Cruz to third.  The Yankees intentionally walked Chris Davis to get to Matt Treanor...but then he was lifted for Andres Blanco.  I had faith in Whitey.  But on the first pitch, he hit a soft pop out to the first base side.  Gah!   Francoeur trotted to the plate with the bases loaded and one out.  All I could think was, "please, not a double play."  But the very first pitch was inside.  It grazed  Francoeur's jersey, which was enough for the umpire to award him first base.  Cruz trotted home, the winning run for the second night in a row.

A walk-off hit-by-pitch. 

I still can't believe it.

That's what I love about baseball -- just when you think you've seen it all, something like that happens, and the game feels new again.

I suppose I should talk a bit about the Rangers pitching.  Tommy Hunter didn't look particularly dominant out there, but he scraped through five innings, allowing just two runs and fanning eight.  Michael Kirkman, Clay Rapada and Alexi Ogando were strong too.  And that's all I'm going to say...for now.  I'd rather focus on all the good.  I need it after my Iowa State Cyclones were humiliated by their in-state rivals, the Iowa Hawkeyes, on the football field today.  Thank goodness the Rangers redeemed my day.

KISS:  I can't believe it, but it's  Francoeur.  The guy wasn't even in the starting lineup, but he ended up with two RBI, including the game-winner.

MISS: It has to be Strop.  His outings are consistently deflating. Tonight, he allowed a run on the first pitch he threw -- a wild pitch.  And then he put on one of the batters that scored on that three-run Rodriguez double.

FINAL SCORE

Yankees - 6 R, 12 H, 24 LOB

Rangers - 7 R, 13 H, 18 LOB

Sunday's pitching match-up:  Cliff Lee (10-8, 3.37 ERA) vs. Dustin Moseley (4-2, 4.83 ERA)

This could be a Beauty and the Beast match-up for me.  Moseley has the most gorgeous blue eyes I've ever seen, and I'm hoping Lee returns to his beastly ways on the mound.