The Yankees have a 1-0 ALDS lead after taking a back-and-forth battle with the Royals in the Bronx on Saturday night.
It wasn’t a perfect win by any means, as the Bombers squandered multiple rallies, especially early in the game, didn’t get Gerrit Cole’s best by any means, and were burned by baserunning and defensive blunders that bothered them during their midseason swoon. Still, Juan Soto aced his Yankee playoff debut, Alex Verdugo came up big, and the bullpen shut the door in the later innings to put the Yanks in the driver’s seat heading into game two.
Here were five observations from the Yankees’ first playoff game in two years:
The Yankees have themselves a closer
Luke Weaver looked every bit the part of a reliable closer after taking over for the struggling Clay Holmes in September, and in his first taste of playoff baseball in the Bronx, he passed the test with flying colors.
The righty recorded a four-out save, striking out three in 1.1 perfect innings, including a clean ninth inning against the top of the Royals order. The 31-year-old came into the playoffs having pitched to a 0.92 ERA and 33 strikeouts in his last 19.2 innings of work, and carried that momentum right into game one. If Weaver keeps pitching to this level, the Yanks are in good shape.
Giancarlo Stanton on the basepaths is officially a problem
Aaron Boone told reporters before game one that the Yankees could get “aggressive” with Ben Rice off the bench in potential pinch-hit situations, even in the middle innings.
He might have to consider a similar tactic for sending in a pinch runner for Giancarlo Stanton at the earliest sign of a scoring chance.
The case could be made that Stanton's baserunning cost the Yanks two runs, first when he failed to score from first on a single that kicked away from a diving Kyle Isbel in center, and another where he failed to beat out a grounder deep in the shortstop hole that would have allowed a runner to score from third. The Yanks value Stanton's power and proven playoff performance, but Boone may need to consider pulling Stanton for someone with speed should he reach base in the middle innings.
Has the October chill woken up Alex Verdugo?
Left field was arguably the hottest topic of debate entering the playoffs, and the Yankees named Alex Verdugo as the starter for game one, which generated groans from several corners of the fanbase given Verdugo’s glaring struggles at the plate since the end of May.
But Verdugo, for now, put those complaints to bed, going 2-for-3 with a walk out of the nine hole, including the go-ahead single in the bottom of the seventh. Boone spoke highly of Verdugo’s potential to break out before the game, and he rewarded his manager while also padding his career playoff stats, as he entered Saturday hitting .310 with an .835 OPS in 42 postseason at-bats. Perhaps this is Verdugo’s time to finally break out and get back to the hitter he was to start the season. If so, it would be a huge boost for the Yankees.
The Aaron Judge conversation isn’t quieting down
While Verdugo entered the playoffs with a respectable October resume, Judge came in with something to prove, as his lackluster career playoff numbers were the one box he needed to check in his superstar resume. Coming off a regular season that will likely land him a second MVP award, many felt this was the year, especially with Juan Soto protecting him in the lineup. Instead, Judge put together more feeble at-bats, striking out three times in his first action since last Saturday.
Was it simply rust, or a continuation of disappointing postseasons past? The Yanks better hope it’s the former. Luckily, Juan Soto looked the part in his first Yankee playoff game, going 3-for-5 with a double in his first at-bat. On another positive note, Judge did work a key walk during a Yankee rally, and made a great running catch in the outfield in the first inning to potentially prevent a run.
Yanks won’t go far without Cole being an ace
The Yanks also won’t go very far if Gerrit Cole isn’t at the top of his game, and he certainly wasn’t in game one, allowing four runs on seven hits in just over five innings of work. Things could have unraveled even further for Cole, but he made some pitches when he needed them, and kept the Yanks in it before handing it over to the bullpen far earlier than expected.
Cole hasn’t been able to settle into his dominant self due to the elbow injury that sidelined him for the first half of the season, but if he isn’t able to find his 2023 form, or his 2022 playoff form, the Yanks could be in trouble. They have yet to name a game three starter behind Carlos Rodon, and the pitching staff isn’t deep enough to endure a version of Cole that is far from his best.