Raul Ibanez Hits Game-Winning Homer in 10th to Lift Phillies Past “Choke Artist” Mets
Remember how many observers, including me, acknowledged recently that Raul Ibanez’s blistering pace to start the 2009 season with was beginning to slow? Well don’t tell that to Raul Ibanez, because he’ll smack a three-run homer on you in the 10th inning to prove that he is not cooling off at all.
And that is exactly what Ibanez did tonight, giving the Phillies a 6-3 victory over the New York Mets.
Ibanez went 1-5 with his lone hit, his 21st home run of the season, driving in the winning run plus two extra, giving him 58 RBIs on the season. The hit also extended Ibanez’s current hitting streak to 11 games. Ibanez’s homer also allowed the Phillies to extend their lead in the NL East to four games over the Mets, who lent credence to Cole Hamels’ recent statements that the Mets are choke artists.
(Oh, and because I’m unnecessarily obsessed with my fantasy baseball team for anyone interested, Ibanez led an offensive explosion by my fantasy team tonight, putting me ahead for the week in my current matchup.)
Well done Raul. Despite the oft-perpetrated perception that I’m a hater, I have been and will continue to be in your corner, rooting for your success to continue despite my indefatigable doubts about MLB as a whole. There is nothing you nor any Major League Baseball player can do right now to have my total trust in your accomplishments, except to keep putting up great numbers, be transparent about your testing, steadfast and upfront in your denials of any and all speculation, and never fail a test. And that is what I hope happens.
Because then, like with any process of rebuilding lost trust, it’s just a matter of time. And while that clock has begun, but the long hand still trails the short one by a little too wide a margin — for me at least.
But nothing would make me happier than for the entire situation of the past week to somehow lead to Raul Ibanez being the poster child for fans regaining trust in baseball players. Sure, it’s speculative to assume that he could be that guy, but no more or less speculative than my optimistic initial hypothesis or my speculative non-conclusion conclusion from Monday.
Because here’s one nice thing about speculation: it can cut both ways. And for whatever reason, probably just sheer exhaustion at dwelling on so many negative aspects of baseball — a game I love — this past week, I’m in the mood to be as positive and upbeat as I can be.
And though that evil little whisper of skepticism mercilessly refuses to purge itself from my ear, I’m still going to fight to be optimistic. And I’m still going to root for Raul Ibanez, as I have been all along, to someday prove to be one of the explicit justifications for that optimism and a foundational test case upon which that optimism can endure.
* – Photo Courtesy: Kevin’s Blog
Tags: MLB, philadelphia phillies, Raul Ibanez
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