As no surprise to anyone, the New York Yankees reached the playoffs yet again in 2018. After putting up a impressive 100 win, 62 loss season and finishing second in the American League East (only to 108 win, league wide best record holder, the Boston Red Sox), first year skipper Aaron Boone lead the Bronx Bombers into a wild card match up with the Oakland Athletics.
The A’s posted a very respectable 97-65 season, thanks to a few key power bats, timely hitting all year long, and arguably one of the best bullpens in baseball after an explosive trade deadline.
The one game, winner move on match up took place on October 3rd in the Bronx.
Oakland manager Bob Melvin opted to start Liam Hendriks, usually a relief pitcher, as an opener, meaning he would pitch the first one or two innings to try and sit down the heart of the dangerous Yankee order. Luis Severino got the nod for the Yankees. He posted a 19-8 record during the regular season along with a 3.39 ERA (earned run average). The first half of the season had Sevy looking like a shoe-in for AL Cy Young, but he couldn’t keep up the stellar performances in the second half.
Severino took the bump in the top of the first and cruised through an easy one-two-three inning with two K’s. After a strong first from the young Yankees hurler, Yankee Stadium was alive, and so were the Baby Bomber’s bats. Newly acquired outfielder Andrew McCutchen led off the bottom half of the first with a walk, and then came Aaron Judge. On a 2-1 count, he took an inside fastball from Hendriks deep to left field for a no doubt two run blast.
High School sophomore Alex Schochet was in attendance for the game, and described the scene after Judge’s home run.
“It was insane. The stadium was rocking.”
The game was fairly quiet from there on, as both Luis Severino and Dellin Betances matched multiple A’s pitchers with four scoreless innings, until the Yankees half of the sixth rolled around, and the game was nudged closer to being out of reach. Aaron Judge hit a lead off double off of reliever Fernando Rodney. Then Aaron Hicks roped a line drive into the right-center field gap, beating the shift, and driving in Judge to extend the Yankee lead to 3-0.
After a wild pitch thrown by Rodney, usual closer Blake Treinen was brought into the game. He then walked Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton stole second with the surging Luke Voit up at bat, and Voit kept his hot streak going by smashing a 2 RBI triple off the very top of the right field wall.
Schochet commented saying, “I knew the game was out of reach after that triple. It felt exhilarating knowing it was over.”
And over it was. The door had been blown off the hinges and the Yankees went on to win 7-2, with the only Athletic runs being scored on a Khris Davis 2 run homer in the eighth. Betances secured the win while Hendriks was given the loss. Even though Severino was issued a no decision, he threw a solid 4 innings of two hit, no run ball.
The win set up a very promising American League Division Series between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, and it hasn’t disappointed so far.
In the first game, J.A. Happ got the start for the Yankees while ace Chris Sale was put on the bump for the Sox. In the first inning, Sale worked through an easy inning while striking out three. Happ ran into some trouble though in the first. Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi singled, then Steve Pearce walked, which brought up notorious slugger J.D. Martinez. He hit a 2-0 fastball into the front row of the Green Monster in left field of Fenway Park. Boston then added two more in the 3rd with a Steve Pearce single and a Xander Bogaerts sacrifice fly, which put the Sox up 5-0.
The Yankees fired back though in the 6th with a Luke Voit single, and Didi Gregorius sacrifice groundout. They added another in the top of the 7th with a Luke Voit RBI fielder’s choice. Then in the top of the 9th, Aaron Judge tried to start up a comeback with a line drive home run into the Boston bullpen in right center field.
Despite the “Judgian Blast”, Boston closer Craig Kimbrel finished off the remaining Yankees as the Red Sox won Game One of the ALDS 5-4.
