ST. PETERSBURG – During his tenure as commissioner, Bud Selig has experienced a lot of bizarre events and changes. However, a constant since 1995 has been the Yankees playing in October.
Now, the Yankees’ chances of extending that streak aren’t mathematically dead but barely breathing. So, Selig was asked if would be weird not seeing the Yankees in the postseason.
“Yes, I am a creature of habit in everything I do,” Selig told The Post. “You get accustomed to seeing the Yankees in the postseason. It will be different if the Yankees don’t make it, no question about it.”
The Yankees are 7 1/2 games back of the Red Sox in the wild-card race with 22 games remaining. Asked if it was good or bad for baseball to have an October without the Yankees, Selig said it wasn’t his place to decide.
“I will let others make that judgment but I have always said it’s important for baseball to have the New York teams be competitive,” Selig said.”
Bobby Abreu was a late lineup scratch due to a sore left wrist last night. He suffered the injury sliding into second base in the ninth inning Tuesday night and didn’t feel right when he went to the batting cage yesterday.
Abreu was examined by Dr. Allen Miller yesterday and X-rays were negative. However, Abreu didn’t know if he would play tonight in Seattle.
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The Yankees recalled outfielder Melky Cabrera from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Triple-A) and he will be in Seattle tonight. The switch-hitting Cabrera, who started 108 games in center, was sent to SWB on Aug. 15, thanks to a .242 batting average.
Abreu was on a 21-for-49 (.429) hot streak and was third in the AL with a .373 (19-for-51) average with runners in scoring position.
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Selig admits he isn’t a tech head but since he was at the front of the push for replay being used to decide home-run calls, he was elated the process worked so well in its first test Wednesday night at Tropicana Field on a shot hit by Alex Rodriguez.
“I am very pleased,” the commissioner told The Post yesterday. “Am I surprised? No, I was that confident.”
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Hideki Matsui got the night off against lefty Scott Kazmir but it had nothing to do with the left knee problem that will force him to have surgery in the off-season.
Jason Giambi was the DH for Matsui, who is batting .214 (12-for-56) with two homers and 10 RBIs in the 15 games since coming off the DL on Aug. 19.
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Andy Pettitte (13-11; 4.52 ERA) draws RHP Brandon Morrow (1-2; 1.47) tonight in Seattle. Sidney Ponson (7-5; 5.13) faces LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith (4-2; 3.56) tomorrow night and Mike Mussina (17-7; 3.39) opposes RHP Carlos Silva (4-14; 6.53) Sunday.