My Yankees Lament

Hey everyone. If you are reading this blog for the first time I want to assure you that this is not a typical post. 

I usually write with my readers in mind; doing my best to entertain and inform them based on my experiences. But this post is just for me.  

I need to do a little bit of "on-screen" therapy and put a season of my life behind me. 

Now don't be too concerned, it's not anything serious to anyone but me. It's all about the way I handle the New York Yankees being eliminated from the MLB playoffs. 

In the 45 years I've been a Yankees fan they have been to the World Series 11 times winning 7 of them. 

Fans of no other team in MLB have a higher level of expectation when it comes to finishing first in the MLB each season. This year was no exception. 

As a Yankees fan who has lived in Kentucky for 20 years, typically, I do as much as I can to follow the team throughout the season.

I listen to the games as called by John Sterling and Susan Waldman and all the Yankee talk on MLB radio channel on XM satellite radio both in the car and on my internet devices. I watch the games that are televised on the MLB network, ESPN and Fox sports channels. And of course, I follow all the baseball news through social media. I'm a pretty avid fan. 

But the 2019 season for the Yankees and me were quite different. 

In March, I got a call from my cousin, Roger in New Jersey. He is a big Phillies fan and knows how much I like baseball. 

He had signed up for a new cell phone service and got 4 free subscriptions to MLB TV. He offered to sign me up for one of them. 

So from opening day in March through just this past Saturday, I had the chance to watch every single Yankees game. 

Over the course of the next 6 months I got to see more of the Yankees than I have in 2 decades. This season has been one of the best for me as far as the enjoyment of following my team. I want to thank Roger for the gift that helped make it happen.  

The season for the team didn't work out be anything like it was projected to be on opening day. 

Over 30 times players went onto the, newly named, injured/reserved list over the course of the 162 games. Only 2 players on the roster were not transferred to the IR during the season. 

There were several players out for majority of or the entire season. Some came back and then went back on. Both the pitching staff and every day players were effected. 

But this is where the "next man up" them came in. It seems that whoever came onto the roster did an outstanding job. 

No matter who the Yankees brought in they came through. Cameron Maybin, Mike Taughman, Mike Ford, Edwin Encarnacion, Tyler Wade, Clint Fraiser (at least when it come to offense), Kyle Higashioga just to name a few.  

That aspect of players stepping up and contributing is the one thing about this 2019 edition of the Yankees I will remember.

Throughout the season, the Yankees became an offensive machine. They broke the record for number of home runs in a single season and scored the most runs in all of baseball. 

Their hitting style and presence at the plate led to one of Aaron Boone's most memorable moments on the field in 2019. 

During an argument with an umpire over balls and strikes, Boone exclaimed loud enough for the field mics to pick up, "...my guys are (expletive deleted) savages in the box". It quickly became a mantra that spread throughout the Yankees fandom like wild fire. 

There were several players who also stepped up and had career years. Brett Gardner, at age 36 in his 12th year, hit the most homers of any single season as a Yankee. 

Gio Urshella came through at 3rd base and had a career year at the plate. Gleyber Torres led the team in homers and was amazing with runners in scoring position. 

Speaking of hitting with runners on, DJ LeMahieu, aka "La Machine", led MLB in batting average with RISP. Signed over the off season as a utility player, he was without a doubt the MVP of the team. 

While it was initially percieved as being, good enough to get the job done, the starting pitching staff left a lot to be desired. Newly acquired, James Paxton was inconsistent for the first half of the year. J.A. Happ had first inning issues all year. C.C. Sabathia in his last season battled with a multitude of physical breakdowns and injuries. In the end his body broke down while he was on the mound in the ALCS. He left the game with a shoulder issue literally unable to pitch any more. 

However, the emergence of Domingo German as the #1 starter (18 wins) was truly a factor in stabilizing that part of the team. 

The bullpen was amazing all season long. With the parade of Chad Green, Tommy Kahnle, Adam Ottavino, Zack Britton, and Aroldis Chapman coming into the game from the 6th inning on, the Yankees were almost unstoppable when holding a late lead. 

The pitching staff was far from being the best in baseball but the production of the Yanks' savage offense covered a multitude of issues on the mound. 

The Yankees ran away with the American League East. There was almost never any doubt that they would capture that flag this year. It was the first time since 2012. They ended the season with 103 wins. 

While it had been an impressive season in many ways, the Yankees failure to get home field advantage in the playoffs by having a better record than the Houston Astros foreshadowed the troubles they would have in the playoffs. 

At the end of September as a fan I could look back at a season to remember for a long time. 

While the Yanks were awesome and a lot of fun to watch during the long 162 game season, the big question going in was, would that translate into success in the playoffs.  

Even before they clinched the division there were signs that there were cracks in the savages' armor. Factors that would eventually take a season to remember and turn it into another October to forget. 

First the good news. During the last 2 weeks of the season, The Yanks #1 starter, Luis Severino, returned and was very effective. Although it was with limitations he would be available for the playoffs. 

Now here's the bad news. In mid-September it was announced that the return of the injured Giancarlo Stanton, who had played in less than a dozen games all year would delayed more than expected. 

He would return with only a week left in the season and would be injured again in the middle of the playoffs. 

Catcher, Gary Sanchez, and DH Encarnacion would also suffer injuries in September that would effect their playoff performances. 

Ace reliever Dellin Betances returned to the mound on September 18 but just for one inning. During that appearance he injured his Achilles tendon ending his season entirely. 

Ironically, the biggest blow to the Yankees pitching staff in regard to the playoffs had nothing to do with injuries. 

On September 20th, Major League Baseball announced that Yankee starter, Domingo German, was put on administrative leave pending an investigation for domestic violence against his girlfriend. He would miss the playoffs as well. This had resounding effects on how Aaron Boone would have to handle his pitching in the playoffs. 

The Yankees breezed through their first round of the playoffs. They dominated the Minnesota Twins beating them three games in a row:10-4, 8-2, and 5-1. 

The winner of the AL wildcard game, the Tampa Bay Rays gave the Houston Astros a hard time in their division series but eventually falling in 5 games. 

This set up a rematch of the ALCS from 2017: The Yankees against the Houston Astros. 

The Yankees really stunk up the place in this series. With the exception of a very good performance in game 5 performance by Mike Paxton at Yankee Stadium the starting pitching was basically ineffective. 

This forced Aaron Boone to use his bullpen pitchers frequently. This  resulted in a familiarity with those pitchers that give good hitters like those on the Astros an advantage. 

On the other side of the coin, the Yankee hitters turned from savages to "sissys" at the plate. Suddenly the guys who chewed up opposing pitchers all season couldn't do anything. 

It seemed systemic all throughout the line up. Aaron Judge, Edwin Encarnacion, Brett Gardner, Gary Sanchez, and to a lesser degree, Didi Gregorious all seemed lost or just couldn't time or catch up to the Astros pitchers. At times they looked like all they wanted to do was make an out and start the off season. It really frustrated me.  

Against pitchers like Justin Verlander and Gerritt Cole, they looked like minor leaguers. They couldn't get a big hit when they needed it, with runners on base they could only make outs. 

I was optimistic when they won the first game in Houston. But when they couldn't get a big hit in game 2 and lost in extra innings, I knew this wasn't going to be their year. 

After being unable to get to Cole early in game 3 they were shut down in the later innings and lost the first game at home. 

Game 4 was rained out on a Wednesday and stacked the deck even more against the Yankees as  some of the guys in the bullpen would have to pitch 4 days in a row. That was something none of them had done all season. 

When game 4 was played on Thursday, the Yanks failed both at the plate and in the field. When a  two out passed ball in the top of the 6th allowed a run to score and the Astros then added two more in the inning I knew the season was over. 

I was so depressed at the end of that game. I actually wanted the series to end the next night.

You see every year since 2010 I have had to deal with the Yankees losing in the playoffs every October. I don't do it with an shrug and a matter of fact "oh well, better luck next year" attitude. I actually mourn a playoff loss. I get really sad and depressed for at least 2 to 3 days. It may seem silly to some but it's part of my passion as a fan. 

But thanks to a very good start by Paxton the Yanks managed to win game 5 and send the series back to Houston. 

As I sat down to watch game 6, I had a little spark of hope. If they could come out of their RISP slump and get one or two timely hits, perhaps the Yankees just might beat the odds and sneak past the Astros. I've seen the great Yankees teams turn things around mid series. Even though they hadn't shown me any sign that they were I was waiting for them to take their place among those great teams. 

A game 6 first inning 3 run homer by the Astros off opener Chad Green quickly doused that spark. 

But the Yanks kept coming at the Justin Verlander. A pair of great defensive plays made by each of the Astros corner outfielders rushing in and making diving plays for outs were major factors in the game. One resulted in doubling up Judge off of first, ending a promising inning. 
  
After that double play, I knew that it was just a matter counting outs until the Yankees season was over. 

I forced myself to sit alone in my living room to watch the top of the 9th inning and the end to a disastrous ALCS for the AL East division champs.

When DJ LeMehieu hit a game tying 2 run homer off Astros closer Ozuna, I was excited but cautiously optimistic. Of course I held out hope that maybe they could get to game 7. 

When Chapman came in and got the first 2 outs I totally expected the game to go into extras. 

A 4-pitch walk to Springer didn't alarm me because I'd seen Chapman do that before. Beside that, he was squeezed a bit by the home plate umpire. 

Because Chapman was the last sure fire bullet in Boone's bullpen gun I was certain that if it did to into bonus baseball it would result in an Astros walk off series win. 

There's an adage in baseball that you don't let the big guys beat you. So why in the world Aaron Boone didn't walk Jose Altuve; especially when Chapman got to 2-1 in the count,I'll never know. Pitching to defensive replacement Marisnick would have been a much better choice. 

But that's all water under the bridge. They did continued to pitch to Altuve and Chapman hung a breaking ball resulting in the home run that sent the Astros to the World Series and the Yankees into the off season. 

It was terrible way to end an awful team performance in the ALCS. It really hurt to see it end that way. 

As soon as Altuve touched home plate I turned off the TV and went to bed. I fell asleep but not for very long. 

At 3 AM I was awake again. I couldn't stop thinking, "don't let their big guys beat you"!!!! Aaron Boone managed that series like an rookie. Up until this series, he had won me over. I think he should win the American League manager of the year award. 

I know he wasn't the one who didn't hit or made bad pitches but he made some awful choices that ended in the very disappointing results. 

I also blame Yankees GM, Brian Cashman, while he did bring in the pieces that made the Yankees season a success, he also failed to bring in anything at the trading deadline in July to plug up the holes that left the Yankees vulnerable in the playoffs. 

He claimed that the asking price for the pieces they needed was too high. I think that's just an excuse.

A good GM gets what the team needs at the price they can afford. I think Cashman's days with the team are numbered. But I could be wrong. After all he is considered the architect of the last great Yankee dynasty which gives him a long rope. But I must point out that its been a decade now since that dynasty. 

With this year's ALCS loss, the Yankees missed going to the world series in a decade (2010-2019) for the first time ever. That tells me that some thing needs to change. I'm not sure what but they need to be built for both regular season and playoff success. Get to work, Mr. Cashman.  

As I write the blog I am still in my grieving period for the way the Yankees season ended. I won't watch the World Series. I won't even listen to MLB radio on XM to find out the results. As far as I'm concerned the 2019 baseball season ended on Saturday night. 

It will probably take all winter to get over this year's elimination. 

I will watch what the Yankees do over the off season to improve their team. I'm not even sure that they will offer a contract to my favorite Yankee, Gregorious. I hope they do. 

As I always do, by next spring my optimism will return and I will be a fan again. 

I look forward to next season because the Yankees interleague schedule brings them within a days drive for me at least 3 times next season. I'm sure I'll be going to see them play at least one of those times. 

Maybe 2020 will turn out to be another one of those Octobers I won't want to forget. Only time will tell. 

So there you have my personal therapy session. I feel much better now. I will be back later this week with another Yankee Near Nashville blog post.