Fight Club

I was on the corner of East 149th and the Grand Concourse when two MTA track workers came up for a smoke.

“Did the Yankees win?” one of them asked.

“Yeah, 3-2 in 10 innings.”

“All right,” the other said. “Gotta light?”

It was a casual exchange about a game that was anything but casual. The Stadium had plenty of buzz like it always does when two great pitchers are going. Andy Pettitte is a favorite around here and Roy Halladay is one of the best in the game.

They both struggled early, but you can always count on tough guys fighting their way through. And you can count on tough teams finding a way to win games like that.

It wasn’t pretty and it wasn’t easy, but the Yankees tied it in the ninth and won it in the 10th. The deciding blow was a ball slashed to left by Robinson Cano.

“The ball club is showing a lot of fight,” one of the track workers said. “They’re fun to watch. I’ve got tickets for Sunday and I can’t wait.”

Some don’t have to. The Fight Club is open tonight. Roger Clemens against Shaun Marcum. First pitch at 7:05 pm.

Ding.