About Last Night: Paulino on his game-tying hit

Yesterday, Ronny Paulino delivered a pinch-hit, two out, two strike RBI single against Mariano Rivera to tie the game in the ninth inning. Afterwards, Paulino discussed the at bat with reporters and basically said: Terry Collins told him he may pinch hit in that spot, so he was able to loosen up and get a few swings in the indoor batting cage. After getting down in the count 0-2, he shortened his swing and just tried to make contact. It was an important game for the team to win before going on the road to Los Angeles and San Francisco. Going back to the 2009 World Series, Rivera had converted 26 straight save chances against National League opponents before blowing yesterday’s lead. I was so impressed with Paulino’s approach against Rivera. After trying to end the game with one big swing on the first pitch, Ronny made an adjustment in the midst of huge at bat against a future Hall of Famer and rescued the Mets from a potential sweep. It seems like Paulino has been up t...