"Was It Over When the Germans Bombed Pearl Harbor?"

The truth about playoff baseball is that it's all about staying alive. I'm sure there is a good deal of momentum and confidence involved in winning a seven-games series, but the truth is that most of the time, momentum--in the words of Earl Weaver--is the next day's starting pitcher. I can see what Cliff Corcoran of Pinstriped Bible means when he writes that Game 5's win feels like it's only delaying the inevitable (a lot of fans in the stands seemed to feel the same way), but I also can see a path to winning this series because of what's happened in the past. Here's what I'm hanging my head on:

Cano and Swisher hope to fuel the Yanks to 2 more wins (Gothamist)

From the time the Yankees won the 2000 American League Championship Series against the Mariners to the time they won the 2009 American League Championship Series against the Angels, there have been 10 best-of-seven series than have gone to a 6th game. In a 6th game, one team is up 3-2 in the series and the other is facing elimination--so 10 teams were in the spot that they needed to win to fight another day. But in all but one case (the 2005 NLCS), the series went to a 7th game. In the 2001 World Series, the 2002 World Series, the 2003 NLCS, the 2004 ALCS, and the 2007 ALCS, the team that was behind 3-2 in Game 6 won Game 7. The other 3 years (2003 ALCS, 2006 NLCS and the 2008 ALCS) the team that forced Game 7 eventually lost that game. Put otherwise, in those 10 series that reached a 6th game, 6 of those teams who were behind 3-2 ended up winning.

That 2007 ALCS won by the Red Sox is the ones that Joe Pawlikowski of River Ave Blues equates to the one the Yankees are currently in. Down 3-1 in the series, the Red Sox climbed back and won. Of course, the Red Sox didn't have to face Cliff Lee in a potential Game 7 (sorry, Nick), but as Neil Paine of the New York Times writes about, Lee would be no sure thing if this series got to a Game 7. Matt Warden of Yankeeist goes through some other notable postseason comebacks.

Yes, for a while the Yankees were not a pretty picture, but a win in Game 6 (a game they should win) would change around all of that. Now things aren't all hunky dory by any stretch. The Yankees are without Mark Teixeira and while some may think the difference is negligible, I disagree with that (yes there's not a huge drop-off offensively from Tex to Berkman, but tonight would be a night both would be in the lineup and now you have to play Marcus Thames at DH and take the hit offensively, defensively and in baserunning). They're down 3-2 and they got handled pretty easily by Colby Lewis in Game 2. Phil Hughes was pretty awful in Game 2 and faces the same Rangers team that busted up his high fly-ball tendencies. And besides Robinson Cano, no Yankee hitter has looked great this playoffs (though Curtis Granderson has been pretty damn good too).

But I'll take the Yankees chances. The Rangers lost two potential clinching games in the ALDS before Cliff Lee turned the tide in Game 5--and they lost both of those games at home. The Yankees have a full bullpen at their disposal including Mariano Rivera and Kerry Wood for as many outs as they need them and CC Sabathia ready to provide relief if needed (I think many would have much more confidence in Sabathia facing Josh Hamilton in a big spot than anyone else on the Yankees). The Yankees have pulled out some improbable wins this season--they just need two more to get the American League Pennant. The Quest for 28 continues tonight.