The New York Yankees defeated the Kansas City Royals 3-1 to close out the series 3-1 and advance to the American League Championship Series. With the Cleveland Guardians evening their series with the Detroit Tigers, the New York Yankees will have to wait until Saturday to discover their opponent. For what it’s worth, the Yankees’ regular season record against both Cleveland and Detroit was 4-2. Game one of the ALCS will take place on Monday, October 14 at Yankee Stadium.
Gerrit Cole Earned His Money
The Yankees’ ace, Gerrit Cole, pitched seven brilliant innings of one-run baseball. Cole was economical, throwing just 87 pitches, 63 of them for strikes. He allowed six baserunners on hits but walked zero. Cole also fanned four Royals’ hitters.
The one Royals run came off Cole in the sixth. Maikel Garcia singled to lead off the inning but was promptly erased as Michael Massey grounded into a double play. Bobby Witt Jr. then singled to left and then scored on a double by Vinnie Pasquantino. But as quickly as the fire was lit, it was snuffed out. Cole got Salvador Perez to pop out and the inning was over. Cole allowed a single hit in the seventh that came with two outs, but nothing came of it. His night was through.
Some Signs Of Life In Aaron Judge
There was an Aaron Judge sighting in game four. The night started with Judge grounding into a double play and effectively killing the inning which had produced a run before his at-bat. Judge drew a walk in the fourth but was promptly erased when Catcher Austin Wells hit into a double play. Then Judge led off the sixth and did something that New York Yankees fans have been waiting for all series. He doubled to left on a 98 mph Lucas Erceg sinker on a 2-1 count.
Giancarlo Stanton, who has stepped up to fill Judge’s void, singled to center and Judge crossed home plate for the first and only time in the series. Judge drew another walk in the eighth which ended his night at the plate. Hopefully, for the New York Yankees, the double and two walks are harbingers of things to come in the ALCS.
New York Yankees Need Pitching and Timely Hitting
It’s easy to criticize the big bats with the big contracts in the Yankees lineup. By his sheer stature, both literally and figuratively, Aaron Judge is going to draw heat when he fails to deliver. But it is worth pointing out that the entire Yankees lineup scored 14 runs in four games against the Royals’ excellent pitching, six of that coming in game one. On the other hand, the Yankees’ pitching held the Royals to 12 runs in four games, never allowing more than five and that was in game one that the New York Yankees won.
Postseason baseball is primarily about pitching and timely hitting. Thursday night, the New York Yankees got both. Regardless of whether they face the Guardians or the Tigers, they are going to see some excellent pitching. It’s going to be up to the pitching staff to match their opponents and for hitters like Judge to step up in big moments if the Yankees are going to make the World Series.
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