How about that game last night? For the first 30 minutes of the game, the yankees were absolutely dead. I was ready to rip my eyes out after the first inning half-inning alone. The bottom half of the first inning is a different story though. Thank goodness for Brett Gardner who has been the Yankees emotional backbone this entire season. The walk he drew in his first at bat was probably the biggest at bat of the game. Aaron Judge battled through his at bat and ended up with a bloop single. Sanchez fouled out which was probably the worst out the Yankees made all night.
Then the ever-clutch Didi Gregorius came up and absolutely crushed a mammoth home run into the right field bleachers. There is no scene in all of sports like that of the right field bleachers in Yankee Stadium after a big home run. Beer and food flying everywhere, fans going absolutely ballistic, and that weird Bronx haze that comes over the stadium.
The Yankee bullpen saved the game allowing 1 run over 8 and 2/3rds of an inning. Gardner and Judge both had mammoth home runs that gave the Yankees a 7-4 lead. Tommy Kahnle and Aroldis Chapman came in and locked it down sending the Yankees to the American League Divisional Series.
Gray vs Bauer
On Thursday October 5, the Yankees will play the Cleveland Indians in Game one of the American League Divisional Series.
Trevor Bauer of the Indians will face off against Sonny Gray of the Yankees. Terry Francona is pulling some weird tricks this year and not starting his ace in the first game of the series. I think this favors the Yankees in not only the game but the entire series for the following reasons. What this does is put all the pressure on Bauer to come out and win game one at home.
Somewhere in the back of his head he's thinking "well if I don't do well we have Kluber tomorrow night so it's okay". If you're the Indians and you just blew a 3-1 series lead in the World Series do you really want to have your second or third best starter on the mound to pitch game one? I wouldn't think so. The Yankees are also playing with zero pressure or expectations.
Between that, the dominant bullpen, and explosive young offense, this Yankees vs Indians series might be a lot closer than some people think.
C.C. vs Kluber
Carsten Charles Sabathia will face Corey Kluber in game two on Friday in Cleveland. Any of you remember the last ALDS start C.C. made? Well it was back in 2012 against the Orioles in which he threw 9 innings of one run baseball (per baseball reference). Sure this isn't the 2012 C.C. anymore but he has been incredibly dominant this year especially after a Yankee loss. The veteran lefty had a huge bounce back season, winning 14 of his 27 starts, 120 strikeouts in 148 and 2/3rds innings pitched, and a 3.69 earned run average. Give me those numbers from the 37-year-old any day of the week.
His opponent, Corey Kluber is likely going to win the AL Cy Young Award, but the postseason is a different animal. Yankee fans should be confident with the guy who has the most experience in that position on the mound.
