N.Y. Yankees: Tampa Bay Rays Seek to Topple Evil Empire

From the desk of: BLAME CARLOS MAY

AMERICAN LEAGUE 

DIVISION SERIES

New York Yankees

vs.

Tampa Bay Rays

FROM

BUBBLE BALLPARK

HEAD TO HEAD

Regular Season Results

AT THE PLATE

• Season Series - Rays 8 wins;  Yankees 2 wins
• Total Runs - Rays 47;  Yankees 34
• Team Average - Rays (69/312) .221;  Yankees (69/316) .218
• Extra Base Hits - Rays 34;  Yankees 22
• Home Runs - Rays 16;  Yankees 13

STARTING PITCHING

Tampa Bay

• Trevor Richards - two starts; 8.2 innings; 9 hits; 2 runs; 2 walks; 9 K; 2.19 ERA
• Tyler Glasnow - three starts; 14.1 innings; 9 hits; 6 runs; 7 walks; 22 K; 3.82 ERA
• Blake Snell - two starts; 8 innings; 4 hits; 3 runs; 4 walks; 8 K; 3.37 ERA
• Tampa bullpens three other games.
• Charlie Morton and Josh Fleming.

New York

• Masahiro Tanaka - three starts; 15 innings; 12 hits; 7 runs; 1 walk; 14 K; 4.20 ERA
• Gerrit Cole - three starts; 16.1 innings; 12 hits; 9 runs; 6 walks; 27 K; 5.03 ERA
• James Paxton - two starts; 11.1 innings; 5 hits; 6 runs; 5 walks; 19 K; 4.86 ERA
• Yankees bullpen two other games.
• J.A. Happ and Deivi Garcia.

BULLPEN

• Tampa Bay - 54 innings; 47 hits; 21 runs; 22 walks; 49 K; 3.50 ERA
• New York - 41 innings; 31 hits; 23 runs; 27 walks; 39 K; 5.04 ERA

"We don't like them; they don't like us." - Tampa center fielder Kevin Kiermaier

Tampa Bay is the reigning A.L. East champion.  They won the division by seven games over the Yankees.  Forty victories led the American League and were second in MLB behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.  This is the Rays sixth ever trip into the post-season.

When these teams last met Aroldis Chapman whizzed a 100mph fastball near the head of Tampa first baseman Mike Brosseau.  It was only the latest in a string of occurrences involving pitchers (Masahiro Tanaka) throwing with intent following incidents in August and September.  Although, this merely scratches the surface.  Lest we forget CC Sabathia was also involved in past incidences. 

Gerrit Cole is a New York Yankee for this very reason: to beat the Tampa Bay Rays and help lift the Yankees to another championship.  This is when he is supposed to earn his keep, or not.  He's been inclined to yield the long ball.  Against Cleveland in the first round Cole yielded two runs, one home run, on six hits and no walks with 13 strikeouts.