CLEVELAND _ Close your eyes Thursday night at Progressive Field, and the soundtrack transported you back to May or June, when Jay Bruce played for the other team in New York, at the ballpark in Flushing, N.Y.
First, the thumping rap lyrics of Jay Z's "PSA," with the opening line, "Allow me to reintroduce myself ..." Then the loud crack of the bat, followed by the booming chant, "Bruuuuce!" But that sequence belongs to the Indians now, ever since they snatched Bruce out from under the Yankees, by offering to pay the full freight on his remaining contract.
What a sobering turn of events Game 1 of the Division Series was for the Yankees, who watched Sonny Gray _ their biggest deadline acquisition _ shrink under the October spotlight and Bruce, the one that got away, demolish them almost singlehandedly. The Indians have so many weapons, yet it was the former Met, dangled in front of Brian Cashman seven weeks ago, that tortured them with a home run and three RBIs in the 4-0 win.
Between Gray failing to survive four innings, with an already depleted bullpen, and Bruce delivering a double, two-run homer and sacrifice fly, it's a toss-up as to what hurt more. Our choice would be Gray, because after Luis Severino's one-out disappearing act in the wild-card game, the Yankees badly needed a pick-me-up from their rotation, both to protect their tired relief corps and give them a fighting chance against the defending champs.
This is the scenario Cashman envisioned when he traded for Gray, to not only help the Yankees reach the playoffs, but fortify the starting staff for just such an October meeting. Gray knew what was expected of him, and seemed up for the challenge.
"From the moment that I stepped foot in the clubhouse, it was something that I was hoping to do," Gray said on the eve of Game 1. "My first day in New York, I got that vibe. And now we're here, and we're ready to go."
It's not that the Yankees should regret dealing for Gray _ he'll be an integral part of the rotation for the next two years, at least. But his postseason debut in pinstripes just felt somewhat hollow, and seeing Bruce do most of the damage made the night doubly tough to endure. Gray pitched only 3 1/3 innings, allowing three hits and walking four, with the big blow Bruce's two-run blast in the fourth.
The only reason Bruce is even wearing Chief Wahoo these days is because of his looming free agency at month's end. If he was in the middle of a multiyear deal, the Mets likely would have kept him, and maybe Game 1 _ minus Bruce _ turns out differently. But as long as Bruce remains property of the Indians, he's going to be a thorny reminder of the collapsed trade talks between Cashman and his Flushing counterpart, Sandy Alderson.
The Mets wanted the Yankees to pick up the remaining $3.7 million on Bruce's expiring contract as well as provide a decent prospect in return, but Cashman balked at the idea, illustrating once again why it's so difficult for the two crosstown rivals to make a trade of any significance. As soon as Alderson discovered the Indians were willing to pay full price, he shipped Bruce to Cleveland, and the defending AL champs couldn't wait to thumb their noses at the Yankees through Twitter immediately after his homer.
"Jay Bruce is on our team because our owner wrote a check that competitors for Jay wouldn't," the Indians tweeted.
No need for the plural there. We all know who they're talking about. Suggesting the Steinbrenners are cheap? Ouch. Maybe the Yankees started it earlier in the day by tweeting out the photo of LeBron James with the NY cap from a decade earlier. A low shot, sure, but what else is social media better at? Left unsaid was the party going on in Metsland a happy place after witnessing their former player smack around the Yankees.
During the past week, the Mets lost a manager, a pitching coach and their 92nd game. In Bruce, however, their bitter fan base gained a rooting interest for these playoffs, and he gave them a rare reason to celebrate by crushing the Yankees.
