Send in the Plumbers

Can Gerrit Cole and the Yankees rise to the moment? Will their fans behave themselves? We'll soon find out.

Amazing comebacks have to start somewhere, and so I certainly don’t want to diminish the possibilities of one after the Yankees’ defiant 11-4 victory over the Dodgers in Game 3 on Tuesday night.

The Yankees fell behind 2-0 early after Freddie Freeman hit another home run and then the Yankees overcame some self-inflicted wounds from players and fans (more on that in a few) and turned this one into a laugher. Anthony Volpe—a JoeBlogs favorite*—smashed a grand slam and provided some old-fashioned, Derek Jeter LET’S DO THIS energy to a team that felt on life support. Yankees relievers shut down the Dodgers pretty much like they have all Series. It was a rocking win for New York, and I don’t want to diminish any of that.

*When the WHY WE LOVE BASEBALL preorder campaign was happening, I was asked to sign several copies for the Volpe family, including for Anthony himself.

I also don’t want to diminish how close this Series really should be. The Yankees flat-out blew Game 1, and Games 2 and 3 were just 4-2 Dodger victories with New York missing some opportunities. The Series should be tied at 2, and with Gerrit Cole pitching for the Yankees tonight, the Yankees should be in pretty good position to take the thing.

But—and here’s the part where it will seem like I’m diminishing hopes—