The Yankees had the best record in baseball after beating the Blue Jays on June 18. At 49-16 they were on pace to win 122 games, and were nine games up on the Astros for the top record in the American League, but from that point forward the Yankees floundered. A 122-win place turned into a 50-47 finish for a 99-win season, which has them opening the ALCS on the road.
“Everything was clicking for them, everybody in the lineup was having success putting the ball in play,” An American League East coach told SportsRadio 610. “I think later on we saw them take a lot of big swings. I think our pitchers figured them out a little bit, I guess the whole league did a little bit compared early to early on.”
This coach prepared for and faced the Yankees 19 times during the regular season, and while he says they didn’t change the way they pitched to their hitters over the course of the season, they figured out the best way to slow that lineup down.
“Our thing was if the Yankees didn't hit four home runs you have a chance to win the game, and that's pretty much how they really relied on scoring runs.”
New York led Major League Baseball by hitting 254 home runs in 2022 and 16 of their 20 runs in the Division Series against Cleveland came via the long ball. The Yankees home run attack was led by Aaron Judge’s American League record 62 homers, but he also struck out 175 times, which was third most.
“I think Judge gets Judge out. I think if you can try to get in on him, that would be the best (way to attack him). You gotta go way in, I think he stays inside the ball better than a lot of guys with his approach. Anything you can do to just mess with his timing, and I know that's easy to say but hard to do, and to me anything off-speed, down, obviously for chase, he’ll expand a little bit there.”
Judge hit two home runs against the Astros while striking in 8-of-31 plate appearances. Houston won 5-of-7 regular season matchups, but all seven games happened before the trade deadline. The two of the headline additions the Yankees made, Andrew Benintendi and Frankie Montas, are unlikely to factor in the ALCS, but Harrison Bader will. The center fielder acquired from the Cardinals only played in 14 regular season games after the trade, but he started all five games against the Guardians and hit three home runs.
“He’s an upgrade for them defensively. I think he’s a plus defender. He can go get it, the arm is just alright. They just weren’t getting anything out of (Aaron) Hicks early on in the year, and he just provided solid defense and probably better quality at bats.”
On the mound, the Yankees 3.30 team ERA trailed only the Astros in the American League, but because their series against the Guardians was stretched to five games, the Astros will not have to face Gerrit Cole or Nestor Cortes until the ALCS shifts to Yankee Stadium this weekend. This coach called Cole a “legitimate ace” two years and that assessment hasn’t changed, but Cortes, who burst onto the scene this season and won on Tuesday despite pitching on short rest, might be better at the moment.
“I think he’s their best. For us, Cortes was number one, but I think they complement each other so well because Cole throws hard and then Cortes is more finesse.”
Cole and Cortes accounted for all three Yankee wins in the ALDS and they combined for a 2.31 ERA in four starts. The key for the Astros will be getting to the Yankees bullpen which struggled at times against Cleveland, but the guy who is most dangerous is All-Star Clay Holmes. The 29-year old recovered from a poor second half of the season to throw 3.1 scoreless innings without allowing a hit against the Guardians.
“The angle that he was creating, a lot of his pitches were moving late. I heard a lot of our hitters just complaining about that.”