ALCS Game 3. Yanks fall 4-1, trail in Series 2 games to 1. Nats win NL.

Since May 22, Gerrit Cole has been unbeatable, going 19-0 in 25 starts with a 1.59 ERA. Incredible.

He was vulnerable against the Yankees, giving up 5 walks and 4 hits in his seven innings of work, but no runs.

Luis Severino was OK, but gave up a HR in the first to Jose Altuve (Altuve kills the Yankees) and another in the second to Josh Reddick and that is all Cole needed. Houston wins Game 3 of the ALCS, 4-1, and is up two games to one in the series.

The Yanks have a couple of problems. For one, manager Aaron Boone has to wonder if he should bench Gary Sanchez and start Austin Romine instead. Sanchez is 1 for 13 in this series with six strikeouts. For the whole postseason, he is 2 for 21 with 10 strikeouts. He also couldn’t block a WP that enabled Houston to score a run.

In a post-game interview, Boone said no when asked about going to Romine. I think he may be making a mistake.

Another is Adam Ottavino, who came into Game 3 with the score 2-0 in the top of the seventh. Ottavino isn’t getting anyone out and gave up a walk and a single before being pulled. Both runners later scored. Boone said he’ll continue to use him…. what else is he going to say?

Ottavino’s numbers this postseason: 2 1/3 IP, 3 R, 6 H, 3 W, 3 K.  1 HR given up. He’s faced 16 batters and 9 have reached base. You just can’t trust him in tight games anymore. At least not now.

There is no time in the postseason to hope. It’s do or die. It’s why Joe Torre once benched Wade Boggs, Tino Martinez AND Paul O’Neill for the same game (replacing them in the lineup with Charlie Hayes, Cecil Fielder and Darryl Strawberry).

Cleanup hitter Edwin Encarnacion is also slumping. 1 for 12 with 6 strikeouts in this series. Maybe he needs to be dropped in the lineup.

The one constant is Gleyber Torres. The only Yankees’ run came on a HR by Torres in the eighth inning. He is 10 for 24 this postseason with 3 HR and 10 RBI. Maybe Boone should just keep him in the 3 spot. He batted fifth in Game 3, probably to try to protect Encarnacion and hopefully get Edwin going.

But that meant Brett Gardner hit third. Now the Yanks did get singles from D.J. LeMahieu and Aaron Judge to lead off the bottom of the first, but Gardner flied out. The Yanks didn’t score. Maybe Gardner should have bunted the runners over there. I know you are thinking big inning, but this is Cole on the mound, and Gardner is not your prototypical #3 hitter (like a Ruth, DiMaggio, Maris or Mantle), and who knows, maybe Gardner beats it out. Just saying.  Gardner is 2 for 13 in this series with five strikeouts.

Didi Gregorius JUST MISSED putting the Yanks up 3-2 with a two-out drive with two on in the fifth that was caught at the wall. Tough break. Didi is 1 for 12 in this series.

The forecast is for rain. There is a very strong chance Game 4 gets rained out tonight. If so, I believe the Yanks HAVE to come back with Tanaka then for Game 4 on regular rest (and in his six innings on Saturday, he only threw 68 pitches in Game 1) to try to even the series and avoid going down three games to one.

The Yanks only had five hits in the game. In their last 20 innings, they’ve scored just three runs.

LeMahieu 2 hits
Torres HR, 2 walks
Aaron Hicks, starting his first game in over 2 months, walked twice.

Severino (LOSS) 4 1/3 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 3 W, 6 K.  Gave up 2 HR
Green 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Kahnle 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K.
Ottavino 0 IP, 2 R, 1 H, 1 W, 0 K.
Britton 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 0 K.  1 WP that scored a run.
Cessa 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 3 K.

Who’d have thought Cessa would be out-pitching Ottavino this postseason?

Hopefully some of these Yankees’ bats heat up.

Also, hopefully Boone makes some right, and maybe necessary, tough decisions to shake the Yanks up.

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Washington won the NLCS by beating St. Louis 7-4 last night, scoring all seven runs in the bottom of the first. With the four game sweep, the Nationals go to their first WS in franchise history, going back to 1969 when they were the Montreal Expos 1969-2004 before moving to Washington.

For D.C., it’ll host their first WS games since 1933 when the old Washington Senators (now the Minnesota Twins) won the AL pennant but lost the WS to the NY (now SF) Giants.

Howie Kendrick was named the NLCS MVP.

So whoever wins the ALCS knows they’ll have to face Washington with its trio of Scherzer, Strasburg and Corbin (not to mention Anibal Sanchez).

 

 

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Game 3: Yanks sweep Twins, 5-1, to advance to ALCS. Other series still going on.

The Yankees beat the Twins, 5-1, Monday night to sweep the series and advance to the ALCS.

Of the four teams who had a chance to close out the series yesterday, only the Yanks did so.

The Twins have now lost 16 straight postseason games, 13 to the Yankees. The Yankees have beaten the Twins in every postseason match-up against them.

Gleyber Torres got the scoring started with a HR in the top of the second. 1-0 Yankees.

Luis Severino threw four shutout innings, but they were not clean. He got out of a bases-loaded, no out jam in the second. For the game, the Twins were 1 for 12 w/RISP.

The Yankees’ defense was superb. Gleyber Torres made a couple of fine plays, teaming up with D.J. LeMahieu on one of them. D.J. made a superb catch of a liner. Didi Gregorius made a diving catch, and Aaron Judge also chipped in with several fine defensive plays. Those fine plays saved runs and broke the Twins heart.

In the third, Gio Urshela led off with a double and scored two outs later on a Brett Gardner single. 2-0.

Severino got out of another jam in the bottom of the third.

In the seventh, Torres doubled and scored one out later on a single by Didi.

The Twins got a run on a HR in the eighth to cut it to 3-1.

The Yankees put the game away in the ninth when Cameron Maybin homered to make it 4-1, then Torres doubled, stole third, Sanchez walked, and Didi singled in another run. 5-1.

Maybin solo HR
Torres 3 hits. 2 doubles, solo HR.  Hit .417 in the three games. Huge hits.
Gregorius 2 hits, 2 RBI.  Big in Games 2 and 3.

Severino 4 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 2 W, 4 K.  In and out of trouble
Kahnle 2/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K.
Ottavino 0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 0 K.  See below.
Green (WINNER) 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Britton (H, 2) 1 1/3 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Chapman (S) 1 1/3 IP,  0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 3 K.

Concerns? For the second time in the series, Ottavino faced just one batter and walked him.

Britton was removed after twinging his ankle but should be ok for the ALCS. The Yanks have four days off until the ALCS begins on Saturday. If the Yanks face Houston, the game will be in Houston, and if they face Tampa Bay, the game will be in NY.

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Houston lost to Tampa Bay, 10-3, as Zach Greinke got lit up, giving up 3 HR, 6 runs, and getting knocked out in the fourth. Houston leads the series two games to one. Tampa Bay hit 4 HR in the game.  Game 4 tonight at 7 Eastern.

In the NL… (both series will conclude Wednesday).

Washington got a superb outing from Max Scherzer to even the series up at two games each. The final was 6-1 over the Dodgers. Anthony Rendon 3 RBI, Ryan Zimmerman a 3-run HR.

Yadi Molina tied the game in the eighth with a single and won it in the tenth with a SF as St. Louis edged Atlanta 5-4 to even that series at two games each. Paul Goldschmidt and Marcell Ozuna had back-to-back HR for the Cardinals, and Ozuna hit 2 HR in the game.

ALDS Game 2: Yanks up 2-0 after Didi slams, Tanaka tames Twins, 8-2.

One thing about the postseason. A player can be struggling at the end of the regular season, then one postseason at bat can make him a hero.

Such is the case with Didi Gregorius in Game 2 of the ALDS. Didi, who was struggling badly at the end of the regular season, and also in Game 1, hit a grand slam that broke Game 2 open, and the Yanks beat the Twins 8-2 to take a two games to none lead into Minnesota on Monday for Game 3 of the best-of-five series.

Masahiro Tanaka continued to be a postseason force, improving his record to 4-2, 1.54 in the postseason. The YES network showed a graph of people with postseason ERAs under Tanaka’s (minimum five starts). That list was headed by Sandy Koufax, Christy Mathewson and Eddie Plank (although the YES network screwed up. The picture shown was of Lefty Grove, not Eddie Plank). Wild Bill Hallahan was in there too. Koufax, Mathewson and Plank are all hall-of-famers.

The Twins made a curious decision, starting a rookie, Randy Dobnak, making only his SIXTH start in the majors, and who had only 28 1/3 innings of major league experience. This, in Game 2 of the ALDS, in a game you NEED to win to avoid going down 0-2 in a best of five series. Strange decision indeed.

Not only that, the kid got married last Saturday. So his focus lately hasn’t been 100% on baseball.

Tanaka got out of a jam in first, being the back end of a nifty 3-6-1 DP to end the inning. Tanaka helps himself out when he pitches by holding runners on well and also by fielding his position well. Here his fielding helped him out.

The Yanks got to Dobnak early, scoring one run in the first. D.J. LeMahieu led off with a double and Aaron Judge walked. A flyout by Brett Gardner moved D.J. to third. Edwin Encarnacion, looking hot and nothing like a guy just off the IL, singled to make it 1-0 Yanks.

Then came the third inning. The Yankees tied their postseason record by scoring seven runs in the inning.

Judge led off with a single and Gardner walked. Encarnacion singled to load the bases and Giancarlo Stanton hit a SF to make it 2-0. Gleyber Torres singled in a run, 3-0. Gary Sanchez was HBP to reload the bases and then Didi hit his grand slam. 7-0. After Gio Urshela struck out, D.J. walked and Judge singled. Gardner singled to make it 8-0, and the game was basically over.

Tanaka did give up a run in the fourth, and the Twins also got a run off of Jonathan Loaisiga in the ninth.

Judge 2 hits, 2 walks
Encarnacion 2 hits, RBI
Gregorius 2 hits, 4 RBI. Grand slam. (1st by Yankee in postseason since Robbie Cano 2011)
Urshela 2 hits.

 

Tanaka (WINNER) 5 IP,  1 R, 3 H, 1 W, 7 K.  Brilliant.
Kahnle 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K.
Ottavino 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Lyons 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K.
Loaisiga 1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 0 W, 2 K.

Yankees’ pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts. Meanwhile, besides getting 11 hits, the Yankees drew 8 walks.

 

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No offense to other good teams in the AL, like Oakland, Tampa Bay and Cleveland (who didn’t make the playoffs despite winning over 90 games) or the Twins, but for months it has appeared that, unless there is an upset, that the ALCS would be the Yankees vs. the Astros.

That possibility became even more of a certainty Saturday night when Houston beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 to go up two games to none in their series. Gerrit Cole struck out 15 in 7 2/3 innings. The only pitchers to strike out more in a postseason game were Bob Gibson and Kevin Brown (yeah, I still wretch when I think of Kevin Brown). Houston pitchers combined for 17 strikeouts and Alex Bregman hit a HR.

Cole is a free agent after the season. The Yanks drafted him in 2008 but he went to college instead. The Yanks tried to trade for him but wouldn’t give up Miguel Andujar in the deal.  So the interest is clearly there. Cole went 20-5, 2.50 with 326 K this season. He led the AL in ERA and the majors in strikeouts. You can guess how much I want Hal Steinbrenner to break open the piggy bank and sign Cole (who, obviously, won’t come cheap) in this upcoming offseason. Not only to help the Yanks but to hurt Houston.

Can you imagine a rotation of Cole, Severino, Tanaka, Paxton and Happ (sorry to the youngsters).

Cole is 29. A three-time All-Star who will get CYA consideration for the third time this offseason (and who may win it, unless he loses to teammate Justin Verlander). His 162 g. average is 17-7, 3.22, ERA+ 127.

Look at that rotation again. You can buy Happ out after 2020 and maybe a youngster like Deivi Garcia is ready in 2021 (and I didn’t even mention Jordan Montgomery).

8 years, $250 million?

It isn’t my money, obviously. But I can dream about spending Hal’s, can’t I?

ALDS Game 1: Torres and DJ lead Yanks to 10-4 win.

In setting the roster for the Division Series, the Yanks went with Luke Voit over Mike Ford. Making the bullpen were Tyler Lyons, Luis Cessa and Jonathan Loaisiga.

The 25-man roster is:

C: Sanchez and Romine
IF/OF Wade
IF Voit, Encarnacion (who’ll DH), LeMahieu, Torres, Didi, Urshela
OF Stanton, Maybin, Gardner, Judge

P Paxton, Tanaka, Severino, Happ, Loaisiga, Cessa, Lyons, Kahnle, Green, Ottavino, Britton, Chapman.

The Yanks took Game 1 of the ALDS 10-4. Paxton had his usual first inning troubles, as even though he struck out the side, he gave up a solo HR. Twins up 1-0 already.

He gave up another HR in the top of the third. 2-0 Twins.

The Yanks came back with three in the bottom of the third. D.J. LeMahieu, who made an uncharacteristic error in the second inning (it didn’t come back to bite them) singled. Aaron Judge singled D.J. to second. After Gardner lined out to advance D.J., Edwin Encarnacion doubled to make it 2-1. Giancarlo Stanton walked to load the bases. Gleyber Torres bounced into a force out, but two runs scored on the fielding error when the Twins tried to turn the DP. 3-2 Yanks.

Paxton gave up a run in the top of the fifth, and was pulled from the game. He was OK, nothing special. Ottavino faced one man and walked him. Kahnle got the last out.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Yanks took the lead for good. Aaron Judge walked and Brett Gardner was HBP. After Encarnacion struck out, Stanton walked to load the bases. Torres hit a double to make it 5-3.

Kahnle gave up a HR in the top of the sixth that cut it to 5-4, Yankees. He walked the next guy but then Chad Green came in to get out of the inning.

The Yankees built a cushion in the bottom of the sixth when both LeMahieu and Gardner hit solo HR. 7-4.

They put the game away with three runs in the bottom of the seventh. Stanton walked and was PR for by Cameron Maybin, who stole second. Expect to see that—Maybin for defensive purposes for Stanton late in games. Torres walked, and after Sanchez struck out, Maybin and Torres executed a double steal. Didi walked to load the bases. Urshela flied out, not deep enough to advance anyone, but then LeMahieu doubled, clearing the bases and making it 10-4.

LeMahieu 3 hits, solo HR, 4 RBI
Judge 2 walks; 2 diving catches
Gardner solo HR
Encarnacion 2 hits, RBI
Stanton 3 walks
Torres 2 RBI

Sanchez and Gregorius didn’t look too good at the plate.

Paxton 4 2/3 IP, 3 R, 5 H, 1 W, 8 K. Gave up 2 HR
Ottavino 0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 0 K.
Kahnle (Winner) 2/3 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K.
Green (H) 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K.
Britton (H) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 1 K.
Happ 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 2 K.
Chapman 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 1 K.

In the other division series:

Houston won Game 1 6-2 over Tampa Bay. Verlander 7 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 8 K. Jose Altuve HR.

Atlanta shut out St. Louis 3-0 to even that series at a game apiece. Mike Foltynewicz 7 shutout innings, Adam Duvall a PH 2-run HR.

Washington beat the L.A. Dodgers 4-2 to even that series at a game apiece. Stephen Strasburg (6 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 0 W, 10 K) out dueled Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw is a great pitcher, but his “kryptonite” is the postseason, where he has never dominated like he does in the regular season.

Notable Passing:

Tom Waddell, 60, went 15-11, 4.30 with 15 saves for the Indians from 1984-1985 and 1987.

Game 160. Yanks blast 6 HR in 14-7 win. Overtake Twins. Will play Twins in ALDS.

With a nickname like the Bronx Bombers, you would expect the Yankees to be proud of the team HR record they had for years (240 in 1961 stood a long time) and regained last year with 267. You would expect they would want to keep it in house.

It appears they came out pretty mad after two games of offensive ineptitude against the Rays, where they scored just one HR (a Maybin HR) in 21 innings.

Last night the Yankees (103-57) hit 6 HR in a 14-7 win over Texas, and in this season where the ball seems like an oversized golf ball, overtook the Twins 305-303 in the race to see who sets the new record.

The Yanks also found out that with Houston beating the Angels last night, that they are locked into the #2 seed in the AL and will be facing those Twins in the ALDS. Houston will be the #1 seed. The Yanks will have Games 1 and 2 at Yankee Stadium next Friday and Saturday. Game 3 will be in Minnesota Monday. Game 4, if necessary, in Minnesota on Tuesday and Game 5, if necessary, will be back in the Bronx on Thursday, Oct. 10.

With two games left in the season, if the Yanks do make the WS, the Yanks are one game behind the Dodgers (the NL’s best team). The Yanks do hold the tiebreaker if both teams finish in a tie.

Giancarlo Stanton got things started with a HR (3) in the top of the first. It was the Yankees’ 300th HR of the season.

James Paxton gave up a two-run HR in the bottom of the first and left after one inning with a tight left glute. He says he could have continued but that he was pulled for precautionary reasons. Hopefully he is OK, since his next start will most likely be Game 1 or 2 of the ALDS.

The Yanks came right back in the second when Cameron Maybin tied it with his 11th HR of the season.

The Yanks got three in the fourth and didn’t look back. Brett Gardner led off the inning with his 28th HR of the season. Gio Urshela doubled and was forced at second by Maybin. Mike Ford then forced Maybin at second. D.J. LeMahieu doubled Ford to third and both runners scored on a single by Stanton. 5-2 Yanks.

The Yanks got three in the sixth when Urshela led off the inning with his 21st HR of the year. After a walk to Maybin, Ford hit his 12th HR. 8-2 Yankees.

They scored three more in the seventh to make it 11-2. With one out, Gardner singled. After Urshela struck out for the second out, Maybin singled Gardner to third, the Ford walked to load the bases. LeMahieu cleared the bases with a double and was thrown out trying for three. The three RBI put LeMahieu over 100 RBI for the season, at 102.

Gary Sanchez came off the IL, played, didn’t do too well at the plate, but said he felt fine. Edwin Encarnacion was on the bench, but didn’t play. He probably will today.

Update: Encarnacion probably not back until the postseason.

Texas got an unearned run in the eighth off of Mike King, who was making his MLB debut to make it 11-3.

The Yanks got three more runs in the top of the ninth. Austin Romine led off the inning with his 8th HR of the season. Clint Frazier walked and was forced at second by Urshela. Maybin singled. Ford doubled in both runs. 14-3.

Chance Adams continued to disappoint, giving up two HR and four runs in the bottom of the ninth to make it 14-7.

LeMahieu 3 hits, 3 RBI. Now at .331-26-102.
Stanton 3 for 3, 2 walks. Solo HR (3).
Torres 2 hits.
Voit 0 for 5, 3 strikeouts. SEE BELOW.
Sanchez 0 for 3, 3 strikeouts in return from IL.
Romine solo HR (8)
Gardner 2 hits, solo HR (28)
Urshela 2 hits, solo HR (21)  .316-21-74
Maybin 3 hits, solo HR (11)
Ford 2 hits, 4 RBI HR (12)

Voit is 1 for his last 30 and in danger of losing a postseason roster spot to Ford.

Paxton 1 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 0 W, 1 K. Gave up 1 HR.  3.82
Heller 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.  1.42
Tarpley (W, 1-0, 6.93) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K.
Loaisiga (H, 1) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 1 K.  4.55
Gearrin (H, 14) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.  4.14
Lyons 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K.  6.75
King 2 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K.  0.00   MLB DEBUT
Adams 1/3 IP, 4 R, 4 H, 0 W, 1 K. Gave up 2 HR.  8.53
Cortes, Jr.  2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K.  5.45

Win #103 matches the 2009 squad. To find a year where the Yanks had more, you have to go back to 1998 (114).

NOTE: I WILL NOT HAVE A RECAP OF SATURDAY’S GAME #161. I WILL BE OUT OF TOWN ATTENDING A NIECE’S WEDDING AND STAYING IN A HOTEL OVERNIGHT, AND WON’T BE BACK IN TOWN UNTIL LATER SUNDAY AND THEN HAVE A HIGH SCHOOL REUNION TO ATTEND SUNDAY. BUSY WEEKEND.

Game 157. Seve looks great in Yanks’ 8-3 win.

The Yanks (102-55) beat Toronto 8-3 on Sunday to ensure they’ll have home-field advantage in the ALDS, and they hit 3 HR but the most encouraging news of the day was how Luis Severino did.

In just his second start of the season, the Yankees’ ace threw five shutout innings, striking out nine, in getting the victory. He threw 80 pitches, and the first 12 or 13 or so were all strikes.

He was dominant. Just coming off the IL, he was limited pitch-count wise, so just the five innings, but he was the Seve we were hoping for and need to see in the postseason.

Aaron Judge started things off right away with a first-inning HR. #26. But the inning wasn’t over. After that, both Giancarlo Stanton and Luke Voit walked, then Brett Gardner hit a 3-run HR (27) to make it 4-0.

In the second inning, D.J. LeMahieu homered (26) to make it 6-0.

In the bottom of the fifth, LeMahieu and Judge singled. A WP moved both runners up and Stanton hit a SF to make it 7-0, Judge moving to third.  Voit singled in Judge to make it 8-0.

Ex-Yankee Billy McKinney hit 2 HR for Toronto, a 2-run shot in the seventh and a solo HR in the ninth for the final score of 8-3.

LeMahieu 2 hits, 2 RBI; 2-run HR (26)  .329   99 RBI now.
Judge 2 hits, RBI. Solo HR (26)
Gardner 3-run HR (27)

With the 3 HR, the Yanks still lead the Twins, 298-297, for the new record to be, but the Yanks do have Tampa Bay Wed. and Thursday while the Twins have not only one more game to play than the Yanks, but play KC and Detroit—-two awful teams.

Severino (W, 1-0, 0.00) 5 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 0 W, (1 HBP), 9 K.
Tarpley 1 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 W, 3 K.  7.36
Lyons 1 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K.  Gave up 1 HR. 7.36
Cortes, Jr. 2 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 W, 2 K.  Gave up 1 HR.  5.51

The Yanks will be going with openers both Tuesday and Wednesday at Tampa Bay. CC will come out of the bullpen sometime Tuesday. Happ will come out of the bullpen sometime Wednesday. Tanaka is being skipped over for more rest.

The three games in Texas over the weekend will see Paxton Friday, Severino Saturday and Tanaka on Sunday.

This is interesting, that CC and Happ are coming out of the bullpen this week. It leads me to wonder if, as in 2009, the Yanks are going to go with just three starters in the postseason, and then LIMIT those starters’ innings to four or five and then heavily rely on the bullpen (which would include both Happ and CC) from innings four or five on.

Before the game today, the Yanks had a nice celebration for the retiring CC Sabathia.

Houston won, so the Yanks stay 1/2 game behind them for best record in the majors. Houston owns the tiebreaker. Should the Yanks make the WS, they have a 1 1/2 game edge over the Dodgers, and the Yanks own the tiebreaker over LA.

Game 154. Yanks hit 4 HR, clinch AL East title with 9-1 win. Shocking News about German is not good.

Masahiro Tanaka was spot on, and the Yankees hit 4 HR to beat the Angels 9-1 to clinch the AL East title Thursday night.

It’s their 100th win of the season, and manager Aaron Boone is the first manager ever to win 100 in each of his first two managerial seasons.

D.J. LeMahieu got things going with a 3-run HR (25) in the second inning.

Tanaka only mistake was in giving up a gopher ball in the top of the fourth that cut the lead to 3-1.

Brett Gardner hit a solo HR in the bottom of the fourth (26) to make it 4-1 Yankees.

In the bottom of the sixth, Didi Gregorius singled and stole second. Gio Urshela walked. A groundout moved both runners up and Gardner then doubled in two runs to make it 6-1.

In the bottom of the eighth, with two out, Cameron Maybin homered (9) to make it 7-1, and after Gardner walked, Clint Frazier hit a 2-run HR (12) to make it 9-1, which turned out to be the final score.

The Yanks are 1/2 game behind Houston for best record in baseball (Astros have tiebreaker) and lead the NL best Dodgers by 1 1/2 games.

LeMahieu 3-run HR (25) .329
Gregorius 2 hits
Maybin solo HR (9)
Gardner 2 hits, solo HR (26), 3 RBI
Frazier 2-run HR (12)

Tanaka (W 11-8, 4.47) 7 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 0 W, 6 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Gearrin 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K.  4.10
Chapman 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K.   2.28

Tanaka was moved to tonight with Happ going tomorrow. Just a note: This moves sets up Tanaka to start Game 1 of the ALDS at Yankee Stadium on regular rest.

Domingo German was put on administrative leave due to a domestic violence incident which is being investigated by the Commissioner’s office. Michael King was added to take his place on the roster.

Update: In the race for the new team HR record, the Twins 293, Yanks 292. The Twins have played in one less game than the Yanks, and the AL Central teams they play to end the season with are weak (KC 98 losses as of now and Detroit with 107), so the Yanks are the underdogs here. It appears that the Twins will beat out the Yanks, esp. since the Yanks do have two games left with 90-win Tampa Bay.