This was Alex Rodriguez' first "Yankee Moment."  Long derided for his inability to come through in the clutch, Alex got yet another chance to redeem himself on a day when Yankee bats were silent for the most part.  Trailing 7-3 in the 8th to the Orioles, the Yankees rallied for three runs on a Jason Giambi three-run clout to pull it to 7-6, but couldn't pull any closer.

In the ninth, the Orioles summoned hard throwing closer Chris Ray to shut the door.  He quickly dispatched of Doug Mientkiewicz on a line drive to first and followed by striking out Melky Cabrera.  Yes, things looked bleak for the Mudville 9 that day. But Robinson Cano followed with a ground single up the middle, Derek Jeter drew a walk and Bobby Abreu was hit by a pitch to load up the bases for Mighty Casey...or in this case Alex Rodriguez.

Unlike the Ernest Thayer poem I've been referencing, this time Casey, rather Alex came through.  He made it dramatic, working to a two-strike count with the crowd and everyone at home expecting the worst yet again.  Another choke.  Not this time.  Alex had already homered in the first to give the Yankees a short-lived 2-1 lead, and now he provided a nice set of bookends, crushing Ray's fourth offering over the centerfield and giving the Yankees a dramatic ninth inning comeback win that would set the tone for Alex's MVP campaign.

This is a borderline Yankee Classic that may not hold up over time.  It's really a boring blow-out for 7 innings until the Yankees woke up against the Baltimore bullpen in the 8th.  But, if you see it's on, tune in for the last couple of innings for a good helping of goosebumps.  And if you were one of the fans who stood up for Alex back when most Yankee fans were turning on him, you'll probably get even more enjoyment out of it as a moment when you got to dish out a healthy helping of crow.