MISSED IT BY THAT MUCH

Well, unfortunately, the Yankees did not beat the winningest team in Major League Baseball (the Red Sox) to move from the American League Division Series (ALDS) onto the American League Championship Series (ALCS).  I stated in early September, "This season, the Red Sox have certainly been the most consistent and dominating team."  Regrettably, they lived up to that realization.  The ALDS ended in a best-of-5-game-series with the Red Sox winning 3 games to 1.  Here are the dreaded details:

Game 1:  Red Sox 5, Yanks 4

This game had J.A. Happ starting for the Yankees, but his dominating past performances against the Sawx didn’t show up for this game.  Instead, he only lasted 2 innings while giving up a 3-run homerun to JD Martinez.  J.A. began the 3^rd inning, but was charged with 2 more runs.  On the opposite side, Chris Sale started and he pitched very well from the very first inning where he struck out the side.  Once Sale was done pitching, achieving 8 strikeouts in all, the Yankees did hit against the bullpen pecking away at a 5-run deficit, including a 9^th inning solo homerun from Aaron Judge, but they failed too many times with runners in scoring position.

Game 2:  Yankees 6, Red Sox 2

In this game, Masahiro Tanaka pitched very well for his 5 innings, giving up only 1 run.  The Yankees’ offense did their usual against David Price.  Aaron Judge smashed a homerun over the Green Monster in the first inning.  Gary Sanchez followed that same route in the second inning.  He also hit a 3-run homerun in the 7^th inning, driving in 4 runs altogether. 

Game 3:  Red Sox 16, Yanks 2

This game was about as humiliating as a game can get, especially when the game required the inclusion of the Yankees’ backup catcher, Austin Romine, pitching in the beginning of the 9^th inning!  Luis Severino didn’t have it at all as he was the starter for the Yankees.  Neither did any other pitcher the Yankees chose from their bullpen.  You know it’s bad when two of the Yankees’ bullpen “pitchers” (Stephen Tarpley and Lance Lynn) give up more runs than Austin Romine!  The Red Sox seemed to be hitting batting practice each inning.  In fact, their first baseman in that game (Brock Holt) ended up hitting for the cycle when he hit a homerun against Romine.  The Sawx started former Yankee, Nathan Eovaldi, who pitched masterfully through 7 innings.

Game 4:  Red Sox 4, Yanks 3

CC Sabathia was the starter for the Yanks.  He clearly didn’t have his arsenal - perhaps from not pitching for such a long period (almost two weeks).  On the other hand, Rick Porcello pitched 5 strong innings for the Sawx, who scored 3 runs in the 3^rd inning to set the tone.  As usual, the closer for the Sawx (Craig Kimbrel) pitched poorly - the Yankees scored 2 runs off of him, but not poorly enough as they just missed scoring that crucial tying run in the 9^th inning.

2018 will go down as a good season for the Yankees.  After all, they won 100 games.  It will also be considered a disappointing season only because they were headed for over 100 wins before September arrived.  They simmered down and stayed afloat, but never quite put the finisher onto their opponents, especially in the ALDS.

At the beginning of the year, I felt the Yankees would win over 96 games, but I also knew that they were not going to spend too much so that they could finally reset their luxury tax issue for years to come.  Brian Cashman tried to add players as the finish line came closer and closer, without acquiring superstars who may or may not have taken us to the championship, but would have definitively ruined the Yankees’ front office’s long-term plan.  I hate that we didn’t get to the World Series and possibly win it all; but, I’m also content (somewhat) that 2019 is theirs to build.  They have the nucleus of young players on their team and in the minors.  Now, they have their luxury tax reset and can spend like crazy to add key players to the mix.  That young nucleus could then become the next Core 4 or something similar.  There is no doubt to me that our 2019 NY Yankees (NYY) will be a better team than this year’s team.  I also believe that their lifted restriction to spend will make them extremely competitive for the next 5 years or more! 

We are way overdue to win as it’s now been over 9 years.  Hopefully, our anticipated improved team can take us to and through the World Series in 2019.  Additionally, we have another reason to win next season.  The 1980s was the only decade after the birth of “The New York Yankees” in which they did not win a World Series.  Let’s not add this decade to that stat.  I hope 2019 is our year for both reasons!

WILD CARD 2018

Well, as most know by now, the 2018 season ended last week.  The Yankees achieved the second best record in the major leagues with 100 wins.  Only the Red Sox had more (108).  With their 100 wins, the Yankees gained/earned home-field advantage in the American League’s wild card game against the Oakland A’s (winners of 97 games). 

The Yankees then won the wild card game, defeating the Oakland A’s 7-2 a few days ago.  That win gave them back-to-back wild card triumphs (last year they defeated the Twins 8-4).  In this season’s game, there were 3 main decisions and consequential effects that resulted in the Yankees’ win: 

1)  The Yankees started Luis Severino…he pitched masterfully for 4 innings including 0 runs and 7 strikeouts.

2)  The A’s didn’t choose a typical starting pitcher and, instead, decided to setup the game for their relievers to pitch throughout it, with Liam Hendriks being the “opener” of the assemblage…Hendriks was not great, and some who followed him also ran into various dilemmas, especially Fernando Rodney who couldn’t even achieve an out.  (By the way, Rodney usually showboats by illustrating himself shooting an arrow into the sky when he succeeds; but, this time I guess he shot himself in the foot before he failed).

3)  Aaron Judge was healthy and in the lineup to bat second (as he’d done all year when healthy)…he delivered by hitting a monster shot in the first inning to left field at 116.1 mph, setting the crowd’s loud tone throughout the game.

The Yankees had some other key contributions towards their victory throughout the crucial wild card game besides including Dellin Betances (2 flawless and intimidating innings), Luke Voit (a clutch triple), Giancarlo Stanton (hit a crushing 443’ homerun, like most of his standard homeruns), and Adeiny Hechavarria (who prevented a double with an outstanding line-drive catch behind his body).

The Yankees’ wild card victory advanced them to face their number one nemesis, the Boston Red Sox, for the American League Division Series.  Here we go again!