Game 148. Pinstripes Pummel Pirates, 14-2. 5 RBI each for Cabrera, Gleyber.

History was made at Yankee Stadium Wednesday night, but not the history fans came to see.

Aaron Judge didn’t hit HR #61 but did hit two doubles in the game. He still leads the AL in batting average, .3171 to .3166 over Xander Bogaerts as he tries to become only the second Triple Crown winner since 1967.

If Judge is to get HR #61 tonight, it would be against the same team Roger Maris got #61 against—the Red Sox. One thing though—Judge is 0 for 14 against Red Sox starter Michael Wacha.

With the win, 14-2 over Pittsburgh, the 90-58 Yankees’ magic # is 8 to clinch the division, and 1 to ensure a playoff spot. Since the Yankees own the tiebreaker over Baltimore, any Yankees’ win or Orioles loss and the Yankees get at least the #6 seed.

Oswaldo Cabrera and Gleyber Torres each had 5 RBI in the game, and each did it in record-setting fashion.

Luis Severino came off of the IL and was great, giving up just one run in five innings. With Frankie Montas going on the IL and who will probably NOT be ready for the playoffs (and Montas wasn’t pitching well anyway), Severino could be the starter for Game #3 after Cole and Cortes and in front of Taillon.

Miguel Andujar was sent down in order to bring Severino off of the IL.

In the bottom of the first, Cabrera hit a grand slam (3) to put the Yankees up 4-0. From MLB.com, here are a few history-making notes about his grand slam.

It marked the first time in AL/NL history that a team had won a game on a grand slam (Giancarlo Stanton’s ultimate slam on Tuesday night), then scored its first four runs in the next game with another slam.

It was also only the third instance of a team hitting a grand slam in the final inning of one game and then another slam in the first inning of its next contest. The others involved the Red Sox in 1955 and the Dodgers in 2017, according to Stats Perform.

The Yankees — who rode consecutive-inning slams by Judge and Aaron Hicks to a rout of these same Pirates on July 6 — also became the first club in history to hit slams in back-to-back innings twice in one season. The feat is so rare that no other team has hit a pair of consecutive-inning grand slams against the same opponent at any point in its history — not to mention the same season.

Pittsburgh got a run in the fourth off of Severino to cut the Yankees’ lead to 4-1.

The Yanks scored two in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Judge doubled. If he would have gotten under the ball just a little bit, maybe #61. Instead, the ball went 305 feet down the 318 ft. LF line and one-hopped the fence for a ground-rule double. After another out, Judge moved up on a WP and scored on a single by Torres. Josh Donaldson then doubled in Torres to make it 6-1.

The Pirates got a run in the top of the sixth off Lucas Luetge. 6-2.

Then the Yanks scored 8 in the eighth to blow the game open. Torres led off with a HR (22). Donaldson and Stanton each walked. Cabrera doubled in Donaldson, Stanton to third. Harrison Bader doubled in both runners to make it 10-2. So far in his first two games as a Yankee, Bader has been a sparkplug. 5 RBI for him in the two games. After an out, Jose Trevino doubled in Bader. Judge walked, and after a WP and another out, Torres hit his second HR (23) of the inning to make it 14-2.

Torres became the fifth Yankee to HR twice in the same inning. Judge can’t do everything by himself, so to see Torres get hot is a great sign. Now for Rizzo and Stanton to do the same.

Once again, from MLB.com:

The 25-year-old joined the company of Alex Rodriguez (who did it twice, most recently on Oct. 4, 2009), Cliff Johnson (1977), Joe Pepitone (’62), and Joe DiMaggio (’36). Coincidentally, Torres’ own skipper (Aaron Boone) also accomplished the feat during his playing days, smashing a pair of long balls for the Reds in the first inning on Aug. 9, 2002.

Judge 2 hits. Leads in all triple Crown categories. Barely in average. .3171 to .3166 over Bogaerts.
Torres 3 hits, 5 RBI. Solo and 3-run HR (23), Both HR in the same inning.
Cabrera 2 hits, 5 RBI. Grand Slam (3)
Bader 2 RBI.

Severino (W, 6-3) 5 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 W, 6 K. 3.36
Luetge 2 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 W, 3 K. 1 HBP 2.82
Marinaccio 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K. 2.25
Weissert 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 0 K. 6.10

Game 141. Yanks have a cushion after 10-4 win over Rays.

As Yogi said, “it ain’t over ’til it’s over.” The 1964 Phillies blew a 6 1/2 game lead with 12 games left in the season. The 2004 Yankees blew a 3-0 lead in a best-of-7 series. The 2007 Mets blew a 7-game lead with 17 games left. You don’t count your chickens until they are hatched.

But with yesterday’s 10-4 win over Tampa Bay, coupled with the 10-3 win on Saturday, the Yankees (85-56) opened up a 5 1/2 game lead with 21 games to go. Had the Rays swept the Yankees this weekend instead of only winning the first game, the lead would have been down to 1 1/2 games and the pressure really would have been on after having once had a 15 1/2 game lead.

There are other things finally turning in the Yankees’ favor after almost two months of things going sour. For one, the Rays have some 15 of their 24 remaining games against Toronto and Houston, making it that much more difficult to catch the Yankees for the division title. Toronto sits 6 back of the Yankees, and just 1/2 game behind Tampa Bay. Seattle is in a virtual tie with Tampa Bay. So those three teams are jockeying for 4-5-6 playoff position.

You will see that the Yankees have magic numbers of 18 for the division and 11 for a playoff spot. Actually, it is one less number for each because the Yankees own the tiebreakers.

Another thing in the Yankees’ favor is that the cavalry is on its way. Four Yankees started rehab assignments with AA Somerset yesterday (see other post). Yes, rust may be a factor, but hopefully they come back healthy and refreshed.

Lastly, something you will see in the game recap. The bats of Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres seem to be waking up after long slumbers. This is extremely important. It means that teams just can’t pitch around Aaron Judge. He needs protection. Stanton and Torres hitting provides that protection. Then the Yankees’ offense can go.

As they did on Saturday, the Yankees jumped out early and big. Judge led off the bottom of the first with a single, and Stanton walked. Torres followed with a 3-run HR, #20 on the season, and the Yanks were up 3-0.

Domingo German started the game for the Yankees on short rest because of the rainout and subsequent doubleheader against the Twins a few days ago. He only pitched the first inning as the Yankees went with a bullpen game, using eight pitchers.

Tampa Bay got a run in the top of the second, but the Yanks blew the game open by responding with seven runs in the bottom of that inning. Isiah Kiner-Falefa led off the inning with a walk, Kyle Higashioka walked, and Marwin Gonzalez singled to load the bases. Judge hit a SF to make it 4-1, and Stanton followed with a 3-run HR (26) to make it 7-1. Torres followed with another HR (21) to make it 8-1. Josh Donaldson then walked, and Oswaldo Cabrera hit his first MLB HR to give the Yankees a 10-1 lead.

Cabrera also got another OF assist. When will teams learn not to run on him?

The Rays scored two in the sixth and another in the ninth. Final score 10-4.

Ben Rortvedt, who didn’t get into a game, was sent back to AAA after the game as Jose Trevino will be returning from paternity leave.

Stanton 3 RBI. 3-run HR (26)
Torres 2 hits, 4 RBI. 3-run HR and Solo HR (21) 4th Yankee with 20 or more HR
Cabrera 2 RBI. 2-run HR (1) First MLB HR.

German 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 1 K. 3.21
Luetge 2/3 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 0 W, 0 K. 2.63
Weissert (H, 1) 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K. 7.88
Peralta (W, 3-4) 2 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K. 2.44
Trivino 2/3 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 W, 0 K. 4.82 (A’s/NYY ERA)
Marinaccio 1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 0 W, 2 K. 1.93
Schmidt 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 4 K. 2.70
Holmes 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 W, 2 K. 1 WP 2.41

Albert Pujols hit HR #697 yesterday, passing Alex Rodriguez for fourth place on the all-time list.

Game 140. Daddy Donaldson leads Yanks to 10-3 win.

Fatherhood must agree with Josh Donaldson, who came back from paternity leave (it was a girl) to help lead the Yankees to a 10-3 win over Tampa Bay Saturday afternoon.

Ron Guzman was DFA’d so that Donaldson could return.

Donaldson had one of seven straight singles to start the game off for the Yankees, then he homered later on.

The win put the Yanks (84-56) 4 1/2 up on Tampa Bay. The magic # for clinching the division is 20 (could be 19 if Yanks have won the tiebreaker over the Rays) and is 12 for getting into the playoffs (the Yanks HAVE won that tiebreaker over Baltimore).

The Yanks batted around in the first inning, scoring six runs. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton opened the bottom of the first with singles. Gleyber Torres singled in Judge, Stanton to second. Donaldson just missed a HR, hitting the top of the wall with a single that loaded the bases. Oswaldo Cabrera singled in two runs, Donaldson going to third, to make it 3-0. Miguel Andujar singled to make it 4-0. Isiah Kiner-Falefa (IKF) singled to re-load the bases. Still there was no one out. An RBI force out by Kyle Higashioka made it 5-0. After a popup by Marwin Gonzalez, Judge singled in a run. 6-0. Stanton grounded out rto end the inning.

In the second inning, Donaldson cleared the wall with a HR (13) to make it 7-0.

The Rays got a run in the third off of Yankees’ starter James Taillon to cut the score to 7-1.

In the bottom of the seventh, with one out, Donaldson was HBP. One out later, Andujar singled Donaldson to third, Andujar going to second on the throw. A WP scored Donaldson and moved Andujar to third. IKF then singled to make it 9-1.

Tampa Bay got two runs on a two-run single in the top of the eighth to make it 9-3. Oswaldo Cabrera almost had another outfield assist, just missing nabbing the second runner at the plate.

Tampa Bay used a position player to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Giancarlo Stanton took advantage of that, hitting his 25th HR of the season to close out the scoring. 10-3, Yanks.

Judge 3 hits, RBI.
Stanton 2 hits, RBI. Solo HR (25)
Torres 2 hits, RBI
Donaldson 2 hits, RBI. Solo HR (13)
Cabrera 2 hits, 2 RBI
Andujar 2 hits, RBI
IKF 2 hits, RBI

Beautiful. The bats wake up and a lot of people contribute.

Taillon (W, 13-4) 7 1/3 IP, 3 R, 6 H, 1 W, 8 K. 3.94
Trivino 2/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K. 4.70 (A’s/NYY ERA)
Loaisiga 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K. 4.54

Albert Pujols tied one-time Yankee Alex Rodriguez for fourth place on the all-time HR list, hitting #696 last night.

Game 134. Yanks hold on for 2-1 win. Judge (Who else? 53rd HR) leads way. Benintendi needs surgery.

The Yankees (80-54) got one heck of a scare, and perhaps a break, in the bottom of the ninth, but they held on to defeat Tampa Bay, 2-1, on Sunday afternoon.

Of course, they were led by Aaron Judge, who factored into both runs the Yanks scored.

Judge hit the second pitch of the game for his 53rd HR of the season. The 450 ft. blast set a new season high for him, passing the 52 he had in his ROY season of 2017. It also was his 115th RBI of the year, also passing his 2017 total of 114.

Judge had three of the Yankees’ six hits in the game.

In the top of the seventh, Judge doubled, and on a ball hit to short, went to third. Usually, you do NOT do that. But Judge beat the throw to third. It’s a risky play, but with the Yanks’ offense in a funk, he decided that he needed to be aggressive. It probably won the game for the Yankees. Judge then scored on a SF by Oswaldo Cabrera. The way the inning played out, if Judge did not go to third on that play, he would not have been driven in. It turned out to be the deciding run.

Meanwhile, four Yankees’ pitchers combined to shut Tampa Bay out into the ninth. Then Clay Holmes came in and things got hairy. He gave up a leadoff double. A liner to right moved the runner to third. A single made it 2-1. A liner to CF (nice range by defensive replacement Estevan Florial) for out #2. Then a double, but the potential tying run was held up at third. Then Holmes went to 3-2 on Yandy Diaz. Holmes got a called strike three call on a pitch Diaz and the Rays thought was low. Watching on TV, I thought the Yanks caught a break, for I thought it was ball four myself. Makes up for all those low strikes called on Judge.

So, the Yanks lead over Tampa Bay is five, and it’s six over Toronto. The Yanks’ magic number to clinch the AL East is 25. 28 games to go.

But some other Yankees’ related news:

Andrew Benintendi needs surgery to repair a broken hamate bone in his right wrist. He had problems with it before and it was removed, but either not all of it was removed or some bone grew back. The hook detached from this bone. This was the injury from the other night. At least it was caught early, due to advances in medical technology. In 1965, this was misdiagnosed for Roger Maris, and even though Maris eventually had surgery, he was never the same again and lost power in that hand.

The great Albert Pujols, retiring after this season, hit his 695th career HR yesterday, placing him 1 behind Alex Rodriguez for fourth place on the all-time HR list. Barry Bonds had 762* (asterisk intended), Henry Aaron had 755, Babe Ruth 714 and Rodriguez 696*. We will see if Pujols catches Alex and if he can even get #700 before he retires.

Game recap.

Judge 3 hits, Solo HR (53)

Montas (W, 5-11) 5 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 7 K. 1 WP. 3.79 (combined A’s/NYY stats)
Trivino (H, 3) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K. 4.76 (Combined A’s/NYY stat)
Marinaccio (H, 5) 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 0 K. 1.80
Loaisiga (H, 9) 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 2 K. 4.79
Holmes (S, 18) 1 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 0 W, 1 K. 2.42

Game 101. Yanks get crushed, 14-0. Gallo deal completed.

The Yanks (53-48) got crushed by Tampa Bay 14-0, and only got four hits in the game. 

Gerrit Cole almost gave up a HR on his first pitch of the game (just foul) but the first four batters he faced were single, walk, single for a run, 3-run HR. Four batters in, down 4-0.

Cole settled down until the sixth, when Tampa Bay got 10 runs off of him and reliever Albert Abreu. Abreu faced six batters, got no one out, gave up 4 hits (3 homers) and 2 walks. Ugh. 

Got to worry a bit about Cole. ERA once under 2.00 is now over 3.00. Still good, but he's been slumping lately. 

Cole (L, 10-6) 5 1/3 IP, 8 R, 7 ER, 6 H, 2 W, 10 K. Gave up 1 HR.  3.11.
Abreu 0 IP, 6 R, 4 H, 2 W, 0 K.  Gave up 3 HR.   5.65
Romano 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 3 K.  4.70 (Combined Cincy/NYY; 2nd Yankee game)
Holmes 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.   4.81 (Combined Pitt/NYY; Yankees debut) 

The deal for Joey Gallo went through. The Yanks get Gallo (29 y.o) from Texas for 4 minor leaguers.

This year .223-25-55, leads MLB with 74 walks. OPS+ 138. The good: 2x All Star. Gold Glove. 40 or more HR in 2017 and 2018. Much needed lefty bat. Bad news: Strikes out a lot. 207 times in 2018. Low batting average. 
162 g. average: .211-41-90; OPS+ 116.

With Judge, Stanton, and Gallo, the Yanks have three guys who have had seasons of 40 or more HR, but also 200 strikeouts. Throw in Rougned Odor, who has topped 30 HR 3x, but struck out 178 times in 2019. You have the potential for a lot of homers, but oy, those strikeouts! Gallo will most likely play LF. He can play all three OF positions, 1B and 3B. He is under contract through 2022. This may mean that once healthy, Clint Frazier and Miguel Andujar could both be trade bait.  

Gallo wore #13 in Texas. The last Yankee to wear #13 was A-Rod. It hasn't been retired. Does Gallo get #13? 

The Yanks also get LHP Joely Rodriguez in the deal. 1-3, 5.93 (ERA+ 76) this season. 2-5, 5.05 (ERA+ 88) for his career in 81 games. 

The Yanks give up:

RHP Glenn Otto RHP, 25. 7-3, 3.33 between AA/AAA this season. Minor league career: 14-7, 3.07
2B/SS Ezequiel Duran, 22. .290-12-48, 12 SB at High A Hudson Valley this season. 
LF/2B Trevor Hauver, 22.  .288-9-49 for Low A Tampa this year. 
INF Josh Smith 24 in a week.  .324-9-24, 17 SB between low and High A this season.

You got to give to get. The Yanks did give up 4 promising players. But also these four were in the Yanks top 30 prospects, none were in the top 13. Otto #28, Duran #15, Smith #14 and Hauver #23. 

Awards given out. MVP tonight.

It’s awards season for MLB, and the final awards for MVP go out tonight. AL MVP is the only one in which a Yankee may win, since D.J. LeMahieu has been announced as one of the top three finalists.

If LeMahieu does win, he will be the first Yankee to win the MVP since A-Rod* in 2007.

Other award winners:

NL Rookie of the Year: Devin Williams, Milwaukee relief pitcher
AL Rookie of the Year: Kyle Lewis, Seattle CF

NL Manager of the Year: Yankees Legend Don Mattingly, Miami.
AL Manager of the Year: Tampa Bay’s Kevin Cash

NL Cy Young Award: Trevor Bauer, Cincinnati (currently a free agent)
AL Cy Young Award: Shane Bieber, Cleveland.

The Yankees’ Gerrit Cole finished 4th for the AL CYA.

S.T. Game 14. Cessa makes statement in Yanks’ 6-1 win. Tanaka named Opening Day Starter. A-Rod engaged to J-Lo.

On a day when Masahiro Tanaka was named the Opening Day Starter, Luis Cessa made a statement about who should fill in while Luis Severino and CC Sabathia are on the shelf.

Cessa pitched four great innings (granted, against Baltimore) in the Yanks’ 6-1 win over the Orioles last night. The win puts the Yanks’ spring training record at 7-6-1.

Paxton and Happ will follow Tanaka, in that order.

Getting back to the game.

C Gary Sanchez drove in 2 runs.

Tyler Wade, who’ll probably stick as a utility man, had a double. Clint Frazier, probably AAA bound to get regular at bats (especially since most of 2018 was lost due to the concussion issues) went 0 for 4.

Greg Bird, fighting it out with Luke Voit for the 1B job only one will win, went 1 for 3 with an RBI.

Billy Burns had a double, RBI and 2 SB. Angel Aguilar went 1 for 1 with an RBI, as the lineup was very prospect-heavy.

Cessa 4 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 4 K.
Tarpley (H) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. Don’t count him out for a spot.
Abreu 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 3 W, 1 K.
Diehl 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K.
Harvey 1 1/3 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 W, 4 K. Gave up HR.

In other news, Yankee-related, ex-Yankee Alex Rodriguez and singer/dancer Jennifer Lopez announced their engagement.

Beltran appointed special advisor to GM Cashman

Ok, let’s put some pieces of a puzzle together. Even though the Yanks say that Manny Machado has some explaining to do about his actions and statements in this year’s postseason, the Yanks are still meeting with him tomorrow. Obviously, with Didi out half the season, the Yanks could go with Machado at SS until Didi returns.

What they then do with Miguel Andujar is anybody’s guess. (Trade for a top-notch pitcher? A top-notch 1B if Voit/Bird don’t cut it? Move Andujar to another position? 1B? LF? But of LF, what of Clint Frazier? You get the drift).

But here is the rub. A-Rod, Machado’s idol, is a special advisor to the Yankees. Machado has made it clear he’d love to play in NY (in the case above, regarding Machado’s offseason, some columnists have suggested that maybe Machado needs to sell himself to the Yankees and not the other way around). #13, A-Rod’s number, hasn’t been retired, and wouldn’t Machado like to follow A-Rod by wearing the number Machado wore in Baltimore? (#8, which Machado wore for the Dodgers, is retired by the Yankees for both Yogi Berra and Bill Dickey).

Now today, the day before the Yanks meet with Machado, the Yanks announce that they have hired Carlos Beltran as an advisor to GM Brian Cashman. It just so happens that Beltran’s former agent happens to be Machado’s current agent. Now Machado’s brother-in-law, Alonso, was just traded from Cleveland to the White Sox, and blood may be thicker than water, but with A-Rod and Beltran both now special advisors in the Yanks’ front office, maybe that water is getting mighty thick.

Me? Here is my guess: that Machado does wind up a Yankee (with Harper going to the Phillies). Which could give a lineup of Gardner, Judge, Machado, Stanton, Hicks, Sanchez, Andujar, Voit/Bird and Torres come opening day.

Should Clint Frazier make the team (I doubt it, unless the Yanks can dump Ellsbury—keeping Ellsbury means AAA for Frazier—no room) maybe against lefties Hicks leads off, everyone below Hicks moves up a notch and Frazier bats ninth.

Just saying.

But an interesting move in Beltran (who by the way, interviewed for the Yanks’ managerial job last year….possible managerial material?) being hired by the Yanks the day before the Machado meeting.

Just trying to read the tea leaves here.

Hal Steinbrenner will probably not be at the meeting with Machado. After all, his mom just passed away.

But I keep thinking of Machado as another A-Rod. All that talent, but all that baggage that may be coming with it.

 

Beltre, one of the greatest 3B ever, retires.

Adrian Beltre announced his retirement from baseball today, and will most likely be a first ballot HOF in 2024.

Beltre, listed on baseball-reference.com as the 4th greatest 3B ever (behind Mike Schmidt, Eddie Mathews and Wade Boggs, and ahead of George Brett, Chipper Jones, Ron Santo and Brooks Robinson) finishes his career with 3166 hits (16th on the all-time list) and 477 HR (30th). He was a 4x All-Star, 5x Gold Glove, 4x Silver Slugger, and 2x Platinum Glove winner. Six times he finished in the top 10 for MVP voting, including a runnerup finish in 2004 and a 3rd place finish in 2012. He played for the Dodgers 1998-2004, Seattle 2005-2009, Boston 2010, and Texas 2011-2018. My guess is he goes into the HOF as a Ranger. His 162 game average was .286-26-94, OPS+ 116. In 28 postseason games, he hit .261-5-11.

A passing. Ken Howell, who pitched in the majors from 1984-1990, passed away November 9 at the age of 57. He pitched for the Dodgers 1984-1988 and the Phillies 1989-1990. His best season was in 1989 for the Phils, when he went 12-12, 3.44, ERA+ 103. He went 38-48, 3.95, ERA+ 92 in his MLB career, 162 game average 9-11, 3.95, ERA+ 92. He got into one postseason game with the Dodgers in 1985 against the Cardinals in the NLCS.

I’ve seen some news about the Yankees and Manny Machado that make me laugh and want to shake my head.

First off, Reggie Jackson is raising some concerns about the statements Machado made that he isn’t “Johnny Hustle”. Now I do agree that Reggie has the right to question Machado’s remarks, and mentioned that a lack of hustle wouldn’t play in NY. But lest we forget June 18, 1977, when REGGIE’S lack of hustle after a bloop single made Billy Martin pull him from a game in Fenway and which almost caused a brawl between Billy and Reggie in the dugout? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

Also, A-Rod apparently is calling Machado a “fine young man.” So a guy who was suspended from baseball for an entire year due to steroid usage is being a character witness for Machado? (Shaking my head).

 

WS Game 3. Muncy’s walkoff HR wins it for LA in 18th, 3-2.

In a game that ended around 3:30 AM Eastern Time, the Dodgers won the longest WS game in history, 3-2 in 18 innings, on a Max Muncy walkoff HR off of Nathan Eovaldi to avoid an 0-3 deficit in games. Boston leads two games to one.

With the game going so long, teams will have to decide who starts Game 4 (see below), and players could be exhausted. Eovaldi threw 97 pitches of relief in Game 3.

Joc Pederson homered for the Dodgers in the third to put them up 1-0.

In the sixth, Manny Machado hit what he thought was a HR, showboated, and wound up with a long single instead of a double. So far this postseason, there is a lot NOT to like about a team potentially signing him as a free agent. So much talent, too many headaches. If the Yanks sign him, could they be getting another A-Rod, another person with so much talent and so many headaches?

Funny how Manny adores A-Rod, A-Rod is pushing for Machado and A-Rod despite his TV connections, is still a Yankees’ advisor. You wonder if A-Rod will bring Machado, and all his talent, but also all his problems, to the Bronx.

A-Rod redux. And just like A-Rod, a guy who wants to play one position, but is forced into another (although, with Didi’s injury, Machado may get to play the position he desires, at least temporarily, but then what? Where does Andujar go if Machado does wind up a Yankee?)

Dodgers’ starter Walker Buehler was brilliant.

But in the bottom of the eighth, Jackie Bradley tied it with a HR off of Kenley Jansen.

Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers pulled a rock, getting picked off of first in the bottom of the ninth. In the top of the tenth, he made up for it by throwing out a runner at the plate for an inning-ending DP.

Boston scored in the top of the 13th, but left the bases loaded. LA came back to tie it up with two out in the bottom of the 13th on an error, setting the stage for Muncy’s walkoff HR in the bottom of the 18th. Muncy had just missed winning it with a walkoff HR in the bottom of the 15th, as his long drive was just foul.

Wood the winner, Eovaldi the loser. As the NY Post’s Joel Sherman reports, the Dodgers didn’t use Rich Hill, and have him to start Game 4, but Boston used Price in relief, used up Eovaldi, and didn’t even use Drew Pomeranz who now may be forced to start Game 4. Who starts?

The Hank Aaron awards for league’s best hitters went to Christian Yelich of the Brewers and Boston’s J.D. Martinez.

And if you want a good chuckle, agent Scott Bora$$ says that Jacoby Ellsbury will be ready to go for the Yanks in 2019 spring training. What else did you expect Bora$$ to say? The guy is great at fleecing owners.