Brandon Tierney understands the concerns from Yankee fans, even after a game one, win, considering how Gerrit Cole looked coming off an abbreviated regular season, and how Aaron Judge looked at the plate in his first chance of playoff redemption.
“The bad was alarmingly bad,” BT said. “Cole was bad…Aaron Judge - we love Judge, and he’s an amazing player - game one, the spotlight has already intensified. Three whiffs is just a horrible way to try and end the October failures for him.”
But BT’s biggest concern lies with Giancarlo Stanton, who couldn’t score from first base on a single that squirted away from Kyle Isbel in center field, and couldn’t leg out a grounder deep in the shortstop hole, which would have allowed a runner to score.
The Yanks came away with the win anyway, but in the playoffs, leaving two runs on the table is not a luxury most teams can afford, and BT says the Yanks may have to make a tough decision when it comes to their slow-footed slugger.
“It didn’t hurt you the first game,” BT said. “But I might already, against righties, DH [Jasson] Dominguez and Stanton sits. I’m already there.”
Stanton’s speed on the basepaths has been a problem since his concerted effort to limit lower-body injuries, and BT says his bat isn’t worth the risk of running into critical outs when it matters most.
“Not once, twice, baserunning was an issue again,” BT said. “He can’t even run.”