N.Y. Yankees: Bronx Bombers Go Boom

From the desk of:  BLAME CARLOS MAY

Greg Bird Rounds Bases After Hitting Fourth Inning Home Run

GAME ONE FINAL

Red Sox    1

Yankees     8

New York Yankees: Bombers Earn Slim Percentage Points First Place Lead Over Red Sox.

I was in attendance for Friday night's series opener between the Boston Red Sox and Bronx Bombers, and can testify to the high voltage coursing through Yankee Stadium's veins.

Starter C.C. Sabathia set the tone early by retiring the Red Sox in order to start the game.

In the bottom of the second, the young Yanks inflicted early damage against Boston starter Eduardo Rodriguez.  Batting fifth, second baseman Gleyber Torres led-off with a triple off the center field wall.  Next up, third baseman Miguel Andujar blooped a hit where they aint, driving home Torres with the game's first run.

The Yankees then flexed their muscle in the fourth.  After Giancarlo Stanton drew a lead-off walk, Didi Gregorious struck a double to deep center.  Stanton would soon score on a sac-fly by Gleyber Torres.  After which, Miguel Andujar deposited a Eduardo Rodriguez offering into the left field seats for a two-run home run.  Greg Bird made it back-to-back home runs with an opposite field launch to left giving the Yankees a 5-0 lead.

With one out and Greg Bird on first base in the bottom of the seventh, Aaron Judge hit his 21st home run of the season.  And in the eighth, Greg Bird capped off the scoring with his second home run of the game, giving the Yankees an 8-1 final margin of victory.

C.C. Sabathia pitched very well in earning his fifth victory of the season.  He threw 97 pitches through seven full innings pitched, with 62 (64%) going for strikes.  He limited the Red Sox to just one run on six hits and a walk, while fanning five.

Relievers Chad Green and Chasen Shreve each contributed an inning of no hit scoreless ball, with three strikeouts.

GAME TWO MATCH-UP

Chris Sale

vs.

Sonny Gray

C.C. Sabathia deals in second inning.

YANKEES MUSEUM

N.Y. Yankees: Damn Yankees Heading Back To Texas

From the desk of:  BLAME CARLOS MAY

Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa Flame Out at Yankee Stadium;

Astros Glad to Get Out of Town.

Yankees Lead Series 3-2

I - HOU 2; NYY 1

II - HOU 2; NYY 1

III - NYY 8; HOU 1

IV - NYY 6; HOU 4

V - NYY 5; HOU 0

New York Yankees: Tanaka Pitches a Gem; Bombers Gain Series Lead With Sweep at Stadium.

Holy Cow!

With Wednesday's 5-0 whitewashing of the Astros, the Yankees are now just one victory away from clinching the American League pennant, and advancing to the World Series.

After losing the first two games of the ALCS in Houston, the Yankees have stormed back to sweep three at Yankee Stadium.  And just like that ... the favored Astros find themselves heading back home under do or die circumstances.

Masahiro Tanaka delivered a gem in Game Five at Yankee Stadium, limiting Houston to just three hits and a walk, and fanning eight, through seven innings pitched for the victory.  He now owns a 1.83 ERA in two starts against the Astros, surrendering just two earned runs on seven hits and two walks, with 11 strikeouts, in 13 innings pitched.

After five games, the Yankees four starting pitchers collectively own a 1.28 ERA against the Astros.  They've joined to give the Yankees 28 innings, in which they've limited the Astros to just four runs, on 13 hits and ten walks, for an 0.821 WHiP, with 30 strikeouts.

Luis Severino is on deck for Game Six, and CC Sabathia is poised to pitch Game Seven, if necessary.

The Empire also struck back against Astros starter Dallas Kuechel, who struck out 10 Yankees over seven innings in Game One.  This time, the Bombers knocked him out of the box after just 4.2 innings pitched, but not before roughing him up for four earned runs on seven hits.

Aaron Judge, Didi Gregorious, and Greg Bird, all drove in runs.  Gary Sanchez homered in the seventh to ice it.

The Yankees will face Justin Verlander in Game Six at Houston.  He shut out the Yankees for eight innings until they touched him for one run in the ninth inning of Game Two.  Otherwise, Verlander surrendered just five hits, walked one, and fanned 13 Yankees, for a complete game victory.

The home team has yet to lose in this series.  And apparently, home is where the hits have been for both teams as well.

Yankee fans now have to wonder which lineup will show up for Game Six.  The one which previously batted just .158 (63 at-bats) at Houston, with only four walks, three doubles, one home run, and 27 strikeouts?  Or the lineup which batted .269 (93 at-bats) in three games at Yankee Stadium, with 11 walks, six doubles, one triple, four home runs, and 22 strikeouts?

While Yankees production spiked sharply at Yankee Stadium, the Astros lineup has remained somewhat more consistently unproductive.  They batted just .190 (58 at bats) in Houston, with four walks, two doubles, one home run, and nine strikeouts.  Then dipped even further to .119 (92 at-bats) in three games at the Stadium, with 12 walks, five doubles, no home runs, and 25 strikeouts.

The eyes of Texas will again be on Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa as the series shifts back to Houston.  Without them, the Astros do not win games One and Two.  After starting the series a combined 8 for 15 in the first two games, Houston's dynamic due has since gone just 2 for 22 in three games at Yankee Stadium.

Recall how the Astros barely outscored the Yankees in games One and Two by a 4-2 aggregate in Houston.  The Bronx Bombers, on the other hand, outscored the Astros by an aggregate 19-5 margin through three games at Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees have two chances to win one game, whereas the Astros must win Game Six in order to force a Game Seven.

Fun!

N.Y. Yankees: The Ghosts Arrive In Time For Game Three

From the desk of:  BLAME CARLOS MAY

OPEN FOR BUSINESS

Indians Lead Yankees 2-1

I - CLE 4; NYY 0

II - CLE 9; NYY 8

III - NYY 1; CLE 0

MONDAY NIGHT BASEBALL

Cleveland Indians

vs.

New York Yankees

FROM

River Avenue Grounds

BRONX

New York Yankees: Redefine Complete Game Shutout in Game Three Victory Over Tribe.

Holy Cow!  There's still life in them young Bombers.

The new New York Yankees managed somehow to scrape themselves off the Ohio interstate after being splatted about the shoulder like road kill after games One and Two in Cleveland.

On the heels of their thrilling Wild Card victory over Minnesota, Aaron Judge and the Bomber bats were silenced in Game One at Cleveland.  They mustered just three hits in a 4-0 whitewashing against Tribe starting pitcher Trevor Bauer, former Yankees reliever Andrew Miller, and closer Cody Allen.

Matters worsened for Yankee fans when several of their worst nightmares began playing out in Game Two.  Staked to a commanding 8-3 lead, the incessantly beleaguered Joe Girardi came galloping into the sixth inning riding a pale horse.

There's no other way to put it ... Girardi got spooked when CC Sabathia issued a lead-off walk to Carlos Santana, then retired Jay Bruce on a sharp liner to short.  So, he yanked CC after just 77 pitches in favor of Chad Green, who promptly retired Austin Jackson, then surrendered a double to Yan Gomes.  Lonnie Chisenhall then stepped in as a pinch-hitter, and was ruled hit-by-pitch by home plate umpire Dan Iassogna.

Catcher Gary Sanchez implored his manager to challenge the call, claiming the pitch hit the knob of Chisenhall's bat (not his hand).  But Girardi's video minions failed to come up with their own conclusive evidence to overturn the call.  Girardi thus failed to appeal the play within the required time limit.  That earned the ire of Yankees fans because the decision to challenge should have been a no-brainer, especially after television replay revealed the pitch indeed hit the bat, rendering the umpire's call incorrect.

Just do it, Joe!

With the bases now loaded, Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor crushed a Chad Green change-up, high up, and off the right field foul/fair pole, reducing the Yankees lead to one.

Of course, the Indians went on to tie Game Two in the bottom of the eighth, then won it in the 13th inning.  It's no great secret how Girardi is avoiding Dellin Betances.  Game Two demonstrated a huge reason why.  Dellin issued a lead-off walk to Austin Jackson, whom then stole second.  Yan Gomes followed with a single to left, Jackson scores.

Yankees lose.

Back home at Yankee Stadium, Bomber fans rained down Bronx Cheers upon Joe Girardi during pre-game introductions, in disapproval for utterly mismanaging Game Two.

But as they say - winning cures all.

The Yankees gained new life Sunday, and redefined what it means to achieve a complete game shutout victory.

What do I mean by that?

Game Three's win was a complete team effort.

They received a clutch start from Masahiro Tanaka; premium relief efforts from David Robertson and Aroldis Chapman; a huge defensive effort behind the plate from Gary Sanchez and a game saving catch by Aaron Judge in right; and lastly, a clutch game breaking home run off the bat of Greg Bird.

It was a masterful 1-0 victory over the defending American League champions.

Tanaka allowed just three hits and a walk, and fanned seven batters, over seven full innings of work for the victory.  With one out in the fourth, Jason Kipnis tripled to right, but was left stranded after Tanaka struck out the following two batters.

Gary Sanchez helped Tanaka along by blocking pitches in the dirt all game long.

A clutch home run by Greg Bird off former Yankee Andrew Miller in the seventh, and four strikeouts by Aroldis Chapman sealed the deal.

The Bombers can tie the series at two, and send it back to Cleveland, with a victory tonight in Game Four at Yankee Stadium.