Game 4 ALDS. Yanks are eliminated, 4-3. Furious comeback comes up short.

They’ll talk about that 16-1 beating all winter. They will talk about Boone leaving Severino in for the fourth, about Lynn coming in instead of Green, I don’t know if any of it would have mattered, considering the score.

We’ll remember the two one-run losses even more. Win those, and the Yanks would still be playing, despite that beatdown.

The Yanks lost Game 4 of the ALDS to Boston Tuesday night, 4-3, and therefore lost the series 3 games to 1. The Red Sox advance to face Houston in the ALCS.

You now wonder which players will be back. CC, Gardner (0 for 8 in the ALDS), Robertson, Britton, Happ, Lynn, Walker, Hechevarria and McCutchen (2 for 15 in the ALDS) are all free agents or have options that may not be picked up.

A couple of key hits here or there, liners that found Boston gloves or that went foul while their balls blooped in. Shots that fell short of the fence while theirs barely cleared the wall, that we’ll remember.

Aaron Boone did shake up the lineup, hoping to get more lefty oomph in there. Gardner started in LF, Hicks in CF, Walker at 3B. McCutchen and Andujar sat.

CC got out of a bases-loaded jam in the first, but gave up 3 runs in the third. One of the hits a bleeder by Yankee-killer Steve Pearce. One RBI double appeared to be misplayed by Gardner, but to be fair, it was hit so hard it probably handcuffed him.

Boone’s bullpen management may be questioned a bit. It’s one thing that hopefully improves next year.

Zach Britton gave up a HR in the fourth to Christian Vazquez. 4-0 Boston. The HR just cleared the short porch.

The Yanks finally got on the board in the fifth when Sanchez doubled, Torres got an infield hit and Gardner a SF.

In the bottom of the ninth, Judge led off with a walk, Didi singled and after Stanton (4 for 18, 6 strikeouts in the ALDS) struck out, Voit walked. Walker was HBP to make it 4-2. Sanchez just missed a game-winning grand slam, getting under it and hitting it to the warning track for a SF, 4-3. But Torres barely missed beating out a dribbler and the game, series, and season were over.

Up until that ninth inning, the Yanks had only scored 2 runs in their previous 19 innings. That won’t get it done.

Just like in 2017, in those games in Houston that year, the Yanks couldn’t come up with the big hit when you needed it.

The homers are nice. That HR record is nice. But hitting with RISP, being able to get the bat on the ball, avoiding strikeouts, going the other way, situational hitting, those are things that need to be improved upon for the Yanks to advance to the next levels. Homers alone won’t do it. Also, baserunning. The Red Sox were 5 for 5 in stealing bases in the series, the Yanks didn’t even attempt one.

Starters who go deep would help too. The longest any Yankee starter pitched in this postseason was the five innings Tanaka went in getting the Game 2 win.

Hopefully for the youngsters, Torres and Andujar (1 for 9 in the series), this postseason was a learning experience. Same for veterans like Stanton, making his first postseason appearance. Learn from it.

The bullpen did a great job keeping the Yanks in the game and giving them a chance.

Gregorius 2 hits (out of the Yanks’ 5)

Sabathia (L) 3 IP, 3 R, 5 H, 2 W, 1 K.
Britton 2 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 0 W, 3 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Robertson 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 4 K.
Betances 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 3  K.
Chapman 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.

More post-mortem analysis to come in the coming weeks.

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Game 2 ALDS. Yanks even series behind the Kraken.

Turn the page.

Gary Sanchez had a poor regular season. His .186 batting average was the lowest ever for any Yankee with 300 or more plate appearances.

But he did hit 18 HR. He hit 33 last season. He hit 20 in just 53 games in 2016. You knew the power was there, and that at any time he could put up a two homer, 4 RBI game.

That is the Sanchez we hoped would return, and in time for the playoffs. Make up for a bad regular season with a great postseason.

It is the Sanchez we got last night. Sanchez hit two homers and drove in 4 runs as the Yanks won 6-2 to even the series up. Game 3 is in the Bronx Monday night.

David Price started for Boston, and he has had a couple of problems lately. #1, he has trouble against the Yankees. #2, he has trouble in the postseason (0-9 record in 10 starts). #3 Gary Sanchez owns him. Not a good combination.

So Aaron Judge, the second batter of the game, hit a 445-ft. HR to give the Yanks a quick 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Judge has homered in all three postseason games so far.

Sanchez came up in the bottom of the second and continued his mastery of Price by hitting a HR to make it 2-0 Yanks. With two out, Price proceeded to walk Gleyber Torres and Brett Gardner. Gardner was starting in CF for Aaron Hicks, who has a tight hamstring. Hicks was available for pinch-hitting duty and the hammy won’t keep him out for the rest of the series (if it did, he wouldn’t be available again until the World Series–no ALCS).

Andrew McCutchen then singled off of the green monster to make it 3-0 Yanks and give Price an early shower.

Meanwhile, Masahiro Tanaka was on, and was his postseason bulldog self. (He is now 3-2, 1.50 in five postseason starts). He gave up a HR in the bottom of the fourth, but it was a solo one, and went five innings giving up just that one run.

In the seventh, the Yanks broke the game open. Judge singled and Voit walked. Stanton, who is struggling—so much so that lots of people are comparing him to A-Rod and A-Rod’s postseason struggles—hit a topper that at first it appeared as if Nunez’ throw hoping for a force pulled the fielder off the bag. But Boston reviewed and the call was overturned. Forceout. Hmm. The fielder must have kept his big toenail on the bag because it didn’t look that way. Nunez’ throwing was shaky all night long. He almost made 3 errors instead of the one he did make. But then again, when he was a Yankee, he had the nickname of Nun-E.

Hopefully Stanton comes around. Aim for RF in the Bronx, Giancarlo. You are strong enough to hit it out anywhere, especially there. Stay back.  No need to pull everything.

So it was first and third, one out, and here is where Sanchez hit his second HR of the game, a 479-ft. bomb that left everything and went out on the street. 6-1 Yanks.

Dellin Betances gave up a run in the bottom of the seventh to make it 6-2, but that was it. Yankees’ pitchers limited Boston to 2 runs and 5 hits. Good job.

I am a bit concerned yet about the Yanks’ hitting w/RISP. 2 for 10 last night (the Yanks had 8 hits and drew 7 walks, so they could have scored more runs than 6). Hopefully that picks up.

Judge 2 hits, solo HR.
Voit 0 for 2 but drew 3 walks.
Sanchez 2 HR, 4 RBI
Gardner 0 for 2 but drew 2 walks.

Tanaka (WIN) 5 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 1 W, 4 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Betances (H) 2 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Britton 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 0 K.
Chapman 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 1 K.

In the other ALDS series, Houston beat Cleveland 12-1 behind Gerrit Cole’s 7 innings and 12 K. Houston is up 2 games to 0.

The NL was off. Milwaukee is up 2-0 on Colorado and the Dodgers are up 2-0 on the Braves.

Yanks advance to ALDS with 7-2 win over A’s.

The Yankees advance to the ALDS against Boston after beating the Oakland A’s 7-2 in the one-game, sudden death, wild card game Wednesday night.

They jumped off to an early 2-0 lead when Andrew McCutchen led off the bottom of the first with a walk and Aaron Judge crushed a 2-run HR that was estimated at 427 feet.

Luis Severino pitched four no-hit innings before being removed after giving up back-to-back singles to begin the fifth.

Severino did have some trouble with walks and some shaky fielding (Miguel Andujar throws) and had to work out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth.

After Severino gave up the hits in the fifth, Dellin Betances came in to work out of the jam, and Betances pitched a 1-2-3 sixth.  Adeiny Hechevarria replaced Andujar at third for defense early—in the sixth.

A bit early for Betances, and maybe for Hechevarria, but in a sudden death game you manage differently, and Aaron Boone did a great job managing last night.

The A’s meanwhile, were doing a bullpen game. They had an opener, who gave up 2 runs (the Judge HR), another guy for 3 innings, another for 1, etc.

The Yanks broke it open in the bottom of the sixth. Judge and Aaron Hicks doubled off of Fernando Rodney (who can stick his arrow in his quiver) to make it 3-0, and Rodney then threw a WP. The A’s then brought in their closer, Blake Treinen, who was 9-2, 0.78, with 38 saves this season, in an effort to keep the game where it was.

Treinen walked Giancarlo Stanton, Stanton maybe getting the benefit of a call, and then Stanton stole second. Luke Voit worked Treinen over, fouling off a few pitches before getting one he liked. Voit drove it the other way for a 2-run triple, just narrowly missing a HR. 5-0 Yanks. Didi Gregorius hit a SF (Didi had made a nice defensive play earlier, saving Voit an error), the burly Voit somehow getting in there despite the throw beating him to the plate. 6-0.

Hechevarria made a fabulous catch at third off a line drive to start the seventh.

In the eighth, Zach Britton was very shaky, giving up a 2-run HR to Khris Davis. Davis had led the majors with 48 this year. 6-2 Yanks.

Brett Gardner had come in for defense for McCutchen in LF in the eighth, and Neil Walker would do so for Luke Voit at 1B in the ninth.

Giancarlo Stanton led off the bottom of the eighth for the Yanks with a HR that was crushed, 443 feet and just fair. It seemed to almost go over the foul pole.

7-2 Yanks, the final score.

On the Boston where the best-of-five ALDS begins Friday night. I expect J.A. Happ to get the call to start Game 1 for the Yanks.

Judge HR, double, 2 RBI
Hicks double, RBI
Stanton solo HR
Voit 2-run Triple

Yankees’ pitchers combined for 13 strikeouts.

Severino 4+ IP, 0 R, 2 H, 4 W, 7 K.
Betances 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K.
Robertson 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Britton 1 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 1 W, 0 K.  Gave up 1 HR.  He’s been shaky lately.
Chapman 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K.

Game 160. Yanks beat Boston, get the wild card game at home, tie for all-time single season HR record.

The Yankees (99-61) beat Boston 11-6 Friday night to ensure that they will play the wild card game against Oakland next Wednesday night in the Bronx.

They denied Boston a 110 win season, and there are only (I think) five teams in MLB history who have accomplished that. One being the 1927 Yankees, another the 1998 Yankees.

The Yanks hit 4 HR in the game and by doing that, have 264 on the season, tying the 1997 Seattle Mariners for the most in one season by a team. They have two games left to hit one HR to break the record.

Gary Sanchez started the scoring in the the top of the third with his 18th HR of the season. With two out, Aaron Judge walked, and singles by Aaron Hicks and Giancarlo Stanton made it 2-0 Yanks.

The Yanks got six in the fourth inning. With one out, Miguel Andujar doubled. Gary Sanchez walked and Gleyber Torres doubled in two runs to make it 4-0. Andrew McCutchen singled in Torres to make it 5-0. After Aaron Judge singled, Hicks hit a 3-run HR (27) to make it 8-0.

In the sixth, manager Aaron Boone made a mistake. With two out and men on second and third, Yankees’ starter J.A. Happ walked Xander Bogaerts to load the bases. Up came Steve Pearce, who has killed the Yanks this year.

Not only that, but Pearce had 5 career HR off of Happ.

Make that six. Grand slam. 8-4 Yanks. Boone never should have let Happ pitch to Pearce there.

The Yanks came right back with two in the seventh. With two out, Luke Voit homered (14, and his 13th as a Yankee) to make it 9-4. Didi Gregorius, playing for the first time since injuring his wrist, singled. Andujar walked and Sanchez reached on an error, Didi scoring. 10-4.

Didi looked good tonight in his first game back from the injury. Very encouraging. That cortisone shot to help him recover from torn cartillage in his right wrist seems to be helping.

In the top of the eighth, Aaron Judge homered (27). It was his first HR since coming off the DL from the broken wrist, and that HR not only made it 11-4, but also was #264 of the season, enabling the Yanks to tie the 1997 Seattle Mariners for the all-time single season record.

Of course, there was no DH before 1973, so the 1961 Yankees, who hit 240, didn’t have that luxury (also, Death Valley at the old Stadium killed a lot of potential HR balls).

Things then got sloppy. Boston scored a run in the bottom of the eighth and left the bases loaded.

In the bottom of the ninth, Didi made an error, Boston scored another run to make it 11-6, and they once again left the bases loaded.

Judge 2 hits, HR
Hicks 2 hits, HR, 3 RBI
Stanton 2 hits, RBI
Voit HR
Sanchez 2 hits, HR
Torres 2 RBI

Happ (W, 17-6, 3.65, Tor/NYY) 6 IP, 4 R, 4 H, 2 W, 7 K. Gave up grand slam. (7-0 as NYY)
Green 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.   2.50
Betances 1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 2 W, 1 K.   2.70
Britton 1 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 3 W, 0 K.    3.10 (Balt/NYY)

Game 156. Yanks win “bullpen” game, 4-1. Use 8 pitchers who 2-hit Rays.

In order to give some starters more rest, and to set up a playoff rotation, manager Aaron Boone went to a “bullpen” game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night, using 8 pitchers who two-hit the Rays in a 4-1 Yankees’ victory. They walked six but struck out 13.

The win improved the Yanks’ record to 96-60 and kept them 1 1/2 games ahead of the A’s for the top wild card spot. The Yanks’ magic # for getting that wild card game against Oakland at home is 4.

One reason Boone did this is that it appears more and more likely that the games in Boston this upcoming weekend will mean a lot to the Yankees as far as holding off Oakland to secure home field advantage for the wild card game. It could come down to the final game.

Boone will have a lot of decisions to make, and one that has been made is controversial. He has said that Gary Sanchez will be the catcher in the wild card game, despite Sanchez committing two more passed balls yesterday and hitting .180. He might be hoping for lightning in a bottle, since a normal Sanchez could give you a 2-HR, 5 RBI game. But the Sanchez of this season has many thinking that Boone should start Austin Romine instead.

Didi Gregorius felt better but it remains to be seen whether that torn cartillage in his wrist will allow Didi to play anymore this season. Meanwhile a tight hamstring forced Aaron Hicks out of last night’s game. His replacement, Brett Gardner, got an RBI and made a game-saving catch.

The Yanks scored first when Andrew McCutchen homered in the third inning. It was his 20th of the season, and fifth as a Yankee.

Tampa Bay, who was eliminated from the playoffs with the loss, scored in the fourth to tie the game. They were helped by one of the two passed balls Sanchez had on the night.

In the fifth, Aaron Judge walked, moved to second on a passed ball, and scored on Gardner’s single. 2-1 Yanks. Giancarlo Stanton doubled Gardner home, 3-1, but was thrown out at third on the play.

The Yanks got the final run of the game in the seventh when McCutchen and Judge hit back-to-back doubles.

There has been a considerable number of likes on the Lehigh Valley Yankee Fan Club Facebook page recently, and a lot are from people outside of the Lehigh Valley. I don’t know how you heard of us, but welcome. Check out the website, http://lvyankeefanclub.org/ for information about our 2019 bus trips.

McCutchen 2 hits, HR.

Now for the pitching, this is going to look like a spring training game.

Holder 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 W, 1 K.  2.92
Tarpley 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.  4.50
Gray (W, 11-9, 4.98) 2 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 W, 2 K.
Green (H, 13) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K.   2.57
Robertson (H, 21) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 W, 1 K.  2.88
Chapman (H, 1 ) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 2 K.   2.54
Betances (H, 20) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K.  2.60
Britton (S, 7) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K.  3.18 (Balt/NYY)

Game 154. Yanks clinch playoff spot with 3-2 win. Stay 1 1/2 up on A’s.

The Yanks (95-59) clinched a wild card spot in the playoffs with a 3-2, 11-inning, win over the Bad News Bears (oops, 44-110 Baltimore Orioles) yesterday, but whether the Yanks will be playing that one-game, sudden-death wild card game in the Bronx is very much still up in the air.

Oakland scored in the bottom of the ninth, thanks to a Minnesota error and a passed ball (hmm, Twins imitating Sanchez) that let in the winning run, and won 3-2. The A’s remain 1 1/2 games behind the Yankees for the top wild card spot.

The Yanks’ magic # over the A’s to ensure that the wild card game will be played in the Bronx is 6. Any combination of Yanks’ wins and A’s losses adding up to 6 and the game will be in the Bronx. The Yanks own the tiebreaker.

The Yanks got two runs in the second on homers by Aaron Hicks (26) and Luke Voit (12, 11 as a Yankee). They now have 251 HR on the season, on pace to tie the 1997 Seattle Mariners for the all-time single season record by a team (264).

Gary Sanchez continued his defensive woes, committing a PB and a throwing error in the third inning that allowed the Orioles to score a run. Besides a PB and an error, Sanchez also went 0 for 4, striking out twice, and his batting average dropped to .182. He was dropped to eighth in the lineup, and you really wonder if it’s just best right now to have Romine in there instead.

The Yanks could really have been in trouble except that Steve Wilkerson was twice thrown out at home.

Baltimore tied it in the fifth, and would have had more except for one of those times Wilkerson was thrown out at home (by Judge) and the fact they left the bases loaded.

After the Voit HR, the Yanks didn’t do too much offensively, and it became a battle of the bullpens.

Jonathan Holder got out of a huge jam in the top of the 10th. The Orioles left the bases loaded.

Finally, in the bottom of the 11th, Didi Gregorius singled, and Aaron Hicks double drove in Didi with the winning run.

Hicks 2 hits, HR, 2 RBI
Andujar 2 hits
Voit HR

Lynn 5 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 7 H, 2 W, 4 K.  4.80 (Min/NYY)
Green 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K.  2.60
Chapman 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K.  2.59  Encouraging outing since just off DL
Betances 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K.   2.64
Britton 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K.  3.26 (Balt/NYY)
Holder 1 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 W, 0 K.  2.97
Kahnle (W, 2-0, 6.75) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.

MLBTR states that CC wants to return in 2019, even if not to the Yanks. Tough call. Questionable knee, doesn’t go too deep into games. 39 next July. Yanks may want to cut the cord, so to speak.

Also, MLBTR reporting that Yanks have interest in bringing back McCutchen (a free agent) if the price is right, but that probably means buying out Brett Gardner’s option at $2MM instead of bringing him back at $12.5MM. Also, you have Clint Frazier and Jacoby Ellsbury (both of whom missed most or all of this year due to injuries) to think about…

Then again, Bryce Harper is a free agent….

Game 153. Yanks hold off O’s, stay 1 1/2 up on A’s for top wild card spot.

The Yanks (94-59) got off to a 6-0 lead, and hung on to beat the Bad News Bears (um, the 44-109 Baltimore Orioles) Friday night, 10-8.

With the win, the Yanks remain 1 1/2 games ahead of Oakland for that top wild card spot and to have the one-game sudden-death wild card game played in the Bronx.

Magic Numbers: 7 over the A’s for the top wild card spot (because the Yanks own the tiebreaker). 2 over Tampa Bay for the bottom wild card spot.

Didi Gregorius hit his 27th HR to put the Yanks up 2-0 in the first inning.

They got four more in the fourth. Neil Walker doubled with one out, and Gleyber Torres singled him in. Torres stole second, went to third on a passed ball, and scored on an Austin Romine groundout. 4-0. Brett Gardner walked and Aaron Hicks homered (25) to make it 6-0. The Yanks now have 249 HR on the season, and are on pace to tie the all-time record of 264, set by the 1997 Seattle Mariners.

Hicks became the fifth Yankee this year to hit the 25 HR mark. Gleyber Torres needs two more to become the sixth.

Then, it seems, manager Aaron Boone got a little too cute in utilizing his bullpen and that could have cost the Yankees the game.

With two out, CC Sabathia gave up two runs in the fifth. 6-2.

In the seventh, Boone brought in Jonathan Loaisiga to replace CC. He immediately gave up a HR, 6-3. Single. Strikeout but a stolen base and an E2 on Romine put the runner on third. Zach Britton came in and gave up a single, 6-4, before getting out of the inning.

The Yanks came back with three in the bottom of the inning. Hicks singled, Judge walked and McCutchen singled in a run. Judge was out on a fielder’s choice, caught in a rundown which put runners on second and third with one out. Luke Voit then singled in two runs. 9-4.

Here is where Boone got a bit too cute and almost blew the game. Instead of leaving Britton in, Boone brought in Stephen Tarpley, who got a strikeout. Fine.

But instead of leaving Tarpley in after he faced one batter and struck him out, Boone now brings in A.J. Cole, who gives up a walk and a HR. 9-6.

Cole gets a pop up for the second out, then a bunt single. In comes David Robertson, who promptly gives up a 2-run HR before getting the last out of the inning. 9-8.

The Yanks got an insurance run in the eighth when with two out, Hicks singled and Aaron Judge doubled him home.

Dellin Betances closed it out in the ninth.

But that eighth inning was too close for comfort. Why remove Britton after just 2/3 and why remove Tarpley after just one batter?

The Yanks have to sweep Baltimore. With the A’s breathing down the Yanks’ throats and the Yanks having seven games at Tampa Bay and Boston to close the season, in order to ensure that the wild card game is played in the Bronx, sweeping the Orioles is almost an imperative.

Hicks 2 hits, scored 4 runs, 2 RBI, walked 2x. HR
Judge 2 hits, RBI
Gregorius 2 RBI, HR
Voit 2 RBI

Sabathia (W, 8-7, 3.77) 6 IP, 2 R, 6 H, 3 W, 5 K.  Career win #245.
Loaisiga 1/3 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K. Gave up 1 HR.  5.82
Britton (H, 9) 2/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K.  3.35 (Balt/NYY)
Tarpley 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.  5.40
Cole 1/3 IP, 3 R, 2 H, 1 W, 1 W, 0 K. Gave up 1 HR.  5.74 (Wash/NYY)
Robertson (H, 20) 1/3 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K. Gave up 1 HR.   2.93
Betances (S, 4) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.  2.69