So anyway, Joe Girardi just locked up the Manager of the Century Award.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, with the Yankees trailing the Orioles 2-1 in a we-really-want-to-win game, Girardi did something that maybe no manager has ever done before ...

He replaced Alex Rodriguez with a pinch hitter.

The pinch hitter, Raul Ibañez, drove one of Jim Johnson's sinkers over the right-field wall to tie the game.

Rodriguez's postseason struggles have been well-documented. Rodriguez has also struggled against Jim Johnson. So with one out in the ninth, Girardi pulled the trigger. And not many unorthodox moves in recent history have paid off as well as this one.

The Orioles' streak is still alive. Johnson got out of the inning without giving anything else up. The Orioles might still make it 77 for 77 in games they led after seven innings. But if they don't -- if it become 76-1 -- Joe Girardi's going to be the toast of the town for the next 24 hours, at least.