Last year, the Yankees basically benched Gary Sanchez for Kyle Higashioka in the postseason, riding the hot hand as Higashioka started four of the five games in the ALDS and five of the Yankees’ seven games overall.
He’ll be behind the plate Tuesday night catching Gerrit Cole as he has almost every time Cole has pitched this season (27 out of 30, to be exact), and “personal catcher” or not, Higgy is honored to be that guy.
“It means a lot. I think I heard somebody say pressure is a privilege, and you know, when it gets to this point of the year, every game comes with a ton of pressure. I try to relish the opportunity and rise to my best game,” Higashioka said during Monday’s workout day media sessions.
Tuesday will, in essence, be just like any other Cole start, as Higgy admitted he planned to watch video and prep on Monday night as usual, and he treats every game regardless of time or place as a “must-win.”
This one might carry a little bit more of that weight, one-game round aside, because of the season the Yankees have had – but not to Higgy, for whom it’s just another day.
“I was kind of looking back at some of the other playoff games I've played in, and I mean, a Game 5 of the Division Series is really no different than this. It's just, you know, there's no series preceding the game,” he said. “So, having played in Game 5 last year of the Division Series, it's the same exact situation. We have to win or we go home. I'm definitely going to use that as a kind of reference point and just to know that I've been there before.”
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This isn’t the first winner-take-all game, or even one-game playoff, in the history of the rivalry, and as a member of the Yankees organization since 2007, Higashioka has seen his share of big Yankees-Red Sox tilts.
Tuesday’s, however, will be “the most exciting game of the year.”
“As a fan, I always think the one-game wild-card game is the most exciting game of the year. So for it to be Yankees/Red Sox, winner take all, it's pretty exciting,” he said. “We all know the magnitude of this game, and especially against the Red Sox, so we're just going to go out there and bring our best stuff.”
A mantra guided by their even-keeled manager, Aaron Boone, who managed to keep the team on the same level despite a roller-coaster of a 2021 season that saw lots of ups and downs – and high highs and low lows – en route to a 92-70 record.
“It's always important for a manager to keep a level head, especially during down times, because we know during the times we've not played so well, that's not who we are. So it's important not to get down on ourselves, and we know that he's always going to have a pretty calm level head about everything,” Higashioka said. “And, you know, it never helps when you panic about something. I think that kind of negative mindset can only negatively impact you. It's always great to have somebody leading the team with a very level head.”
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