Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Coke And A Smile

Fingernails were chewed down and scorecards were a mess when it was finally over. The Yankees needed almost four hours and 13 runs to beat the Detroit Tigers on Labor Day, but a win is always worth the effort.

And watching the postgame interview with Phil Coke – who struck out two in his Major League debut – made a bunch of tired fans smile in the Bronx.

“I was extremely excited,” Coke told YES reporter Kim Jones. “It was something I always hoped to do. I can’t really put it into words. It hasn’t set in.”

Coke talked about the cab ride from the airport and the feeling of standing on a big-league field for the first time. Then he went on about his catcher and the hitters and who was watching back home.

“My family and friends,” he said. “And pretty much my whole hometown of Sonora, California.”

Everyone in Coke’s new baseball home – the Bronx – was watching and smiling, too.

3 comments:

Donna said...

I could not have been happier for the kid. I hope he can keep it up.

JoeyBoy said...

A great day for Coke. I hope he gets a lot more.

Pete said...

A second lefty in the pen will be nice the rest of this year. It will really be great next year.