Suzyn Waldman joined BT and Sal on Wednesday afternoon to talk Yankees playoffs, and was asked what her biggest concern is for the Bombers as they look to get back to the World Series for the first time in 15 years.
Suzyn didn’t hesitate in her response.
“That they’re not gonna hit,” Suzyn said.
The Yankee bats have played a big part in their recent October disappointments, particularly in their last trip to the postseason, when they barely generated enough offense to get past the Guardians before being swept out of the ALCS by the Astros, posting a collective OPS below .600 in those four games.
“When this team has lost, why has it lost?” Suzyn said. “Because there’s not enough offense…It hasn’t been the pitching. Why have they been knocked out of the playoffs? Because they haven’t hit. The offense has been the problem, not the pitching.”
Aaron Judge was particularly quiet in his last playoff showing, and on the whole, his October numbers have been underwhelming compared to his regular season output. That will have to change if the Yanks are to win a title, but they will also need the bats around him to produce and lengthen the lineup, and Suzyn says that will be the big question surrounding the Bombers as the ALDS approaches.
“Over the last week or so, we’ve seen more moving the runner and bunting…the days of sitting around waiting on Judge and Soto, you can’t do that in the playoffs, and they know it,” Suzyn said. “That’s been the problems for the Yankees when they’ve gotten beaten.”