A sunday night and a beauty....

I've made a consistent habit of trying to watch ESPN's sunday night baseball every week, and this week's game was a gem. Pitching duel, timely hitting, and a near comeback victory and a closer who hadn't blown a save this year with the bases loaded and two outs with Albert Pujols on deck. Suffice to say I was praying that Joe Mather could find a way to get the run in from 3rd. Not only because Pujols was due up next, and 1) I love Albert Pujols, greatest hitter in the game atm if you ask me and 2) he's on my fantasy team! And anytime I see a guy getting a few consecutive saves together, Lidge now has 31 in a row, and I think of Eric Gagne and his 84 in a row. I know, I know, he's still 53 off, but I'd still like it if he'd blow one at some point. But i think the reality is, Gagne's record is one of those accomplishments that rivals in my mind Cal Ripken jnr's 2,632 consecutive games, or Orel Hershiser's 59 consecutive scoreless innings. I feel that Gagne often gets forgotten. And as I watched Lidge get through the 9th inning sunday night, with that runner on 3rd and a one run lead, you realise just how many ways that runner could have scored with the one out. Let's see: there's a sac fly, a sac bunt, a suicide squeeze, a safety squeeze, a wild pitch, a balk, a passed ball, an error....etc etc. And then you begin to appreciate the importance of a two run lead, and so on. Cause if Lidge had just so happened to have bounced one that got past the catcher, then there goes your save. Just like that. I feel it's about time that closers got a little more recognition!