September 28, 2006: Baltimore 7, N.Y. Yankees 1
Daniel Cabrera came within two outs of pitching no-hitter. It was ruined when Robinson Cano hit a single to left field in the 9th. Abreu then grounded into a double play to end the game. The Yankees and their fans celebrated as if they'd won.
At home in the Dominican Republic, Cabrera and Cano live only two minutes apart. Cabrera said Cano's not his friend any more, after he broke up the no-hitter. (He was joking.)
I was almost hoping Cabrera would do it. The game didn't mean that much to the Yanks, and it would have meant so much to the kid to get a no-hitter. In any case, this game was probably a much-needed wakeup call. It would have been easy to start feeling invincible with the killer lineup they have now that Matsui and Sheff are back. Not to mention the way they spanked the Orioles and Rays. But good pitching (and defense) beats good hitting, and a reminder of that before the playoffs is probably a good thing.
I must say, Abreu looked pretty klutzy in RF during the first inning. His wall phobia has reappeared. Either that, or he just misread it. The ball went over his head and bounced off the wall for a double. Bubba would have caught that one.
They showed the Bubba/Brian Roberts collision from last year...two or three times. Ugh. Seems like they show it every series we play the Orioles. I'd be perfectly happy never to see it again. Ditto Matsui breaking his wrist. They aren't quite as gruesome as Joe Theismann's broken leg, but they're bad enough.
