![Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees [Image via By Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA (Aaron Judge) [CC BY-SA 2.0]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/10/10/660x290/b_502x220x82/aaron-judge-of-the-new-york-yankees-image-via-by-keith-allison-from-hanover-md-usa-aaron-judge-cc-by-sa-20_1627159.jpg "Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees [Image via By Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA (Aaron Judge) [CC BY-SA 2.0]")
Last night, the new york yankees won the final game of a five-game series against the Cleveland Indians. Down 0-2 in the series, analysts believed that the Yankees' postseason run was over. The Cleveland Indians played in the World Series last year and, was favored to return this year. However, the Yankees are a team that cannot be counted out in the postseason. In fact, they have the talent to win a World Series this year.
Highlights of game five against the Indians
Didi Gregorius ended his poor performance in the series this game. Coming into the game 1-13 at bat, Gregorius hit two home runs against Corey Kluber.
C.C Sabathia struck out 9 players in four innings with 2 earned runs. The Indians were able to close the gap with two runs, making the game 3-2, Yankees. The Indians fielding diminished as the game progressed, allowing three more runs. Yankees' closer, Aroldis Chapman pitched the last two innings and, did not let up any runs. The Yankees are the tenth team in MLB history to come back from 0-2 to win a five-game series.
Takeaways from game five
The Yankees are hitting their stride in the postseason. The start was rough but, the team is beginning to perform. The batting lineup is gradually improving. Indians' pitcher, Corey Kluber, is one of the lead candidates for the Cy Young award but, he allowed nine runs in under seven innings against the Yankees.
Players like Brett Gardner are stepping up to their roles on the team. C.C. Sabathia is in peak performance again. He is the first player in postseason history to strike out nine players in less than five innings.
Looking forward, Sabathia looks like a great option as starting pitcher. Didi Gregorius is showing remarkable improvement and continues to be a leader for the Yankees.
However, Aaron Judge needs improvement. His strikeout tendency in the regular season has followed him into the postseason. On Wednesday, he went 0-5 with four strikeouts. The star rookie needs to step up against the Astros, who eliminated AL East champions, the Boston Red Sox.
Yankees continue to impress
The Yankees improved dramatically over the past two years.
In 2016, they entered a rebuilding period. The team's focus was to get young players and improve their talent in the following years. No one expected them to become wild-card qualifiers in the following year. Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez led the Yankees throughout the season with excellent batting displays.
The key to the Yankees' postseason run is pitching. With Luis Severino, Sonny Gray, C.C. Sabathia, and Masahiro Tanaka, the Yankees have enough pitchers that have proven their skills throughout their careers. In addition, with Chad Green, Tommy Kahnle, David Robertson, Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman, as relievers, the Yankees have the talent to close games. Combine these talents and the Yankees have an excellent shot at a World Series title.
