In Game 2 of the American League Division Series, the New York Yankees managed to get seven hits and five walks against the Kansas City Royals. The problem was that very few of the baserunners actually scored runs. Gleyber Torres scored from second on a Giancarlo Stanton single in the fourth inning, and Jazz Chisholm homered in the bottom of the ninth. For the rest of the game, Yankees’ hitters sputtered around the basepaths with no follow-up behind them. The result was a 4-2 loss at home to even the best of five series at 1-1.
Carlos Rendon Came Out on Fire
The atmosphere at Yankee Stadium was much more like past postseasons in the Bronx. During warmups, starting pitcher Carlos Rodon was clearly amped. His final toss before the game began was followed by an emotional strut around the infield, as if to say, “bring em on.” His actual in-game performance included both highs and lows.
The New York Yankees lefthander rung up 7 Royals’ batters, but only lasted 3.2 innings after giving up all four of the runs Kansas City scored on the night. The energy was great, but the results were less than spectacular.
Can Aaron Judge Getting Going?
The likely regular season American League MVP, Aaron Judge, continued to struggle at the plate in the postseason. Judge was 1-3 at the plate with one walk and one whiff. He came to the plate just once with a runner in scoring position and failed to produce. In the small sample size of two games, the New York Yankees centerfielder is batting .143 with four strikeouts.
There is a narrative being written that Judge is not “clutch.” He withers in the playoffs. That story is a product of the small sample size of the post-season paired with the brighter spotlight. In forty-six games, less than a third of a regular season, Judge is batting .208 with 13 HR and 25 RBI. While the batting average is putrid and about .100 lower than his career average, the power reflects a 40+ HR pace over 162 games for the New York Yankees star. Judge has no control over how many runners are on base ahead of him, so the 75-85 RBI pace isn’t all that alarming.
It’s probably worth noting that Barry Bonds had a similar post-season narrative until he didn’t.
New York Yankees Fans, Don’t Panic
While it is the nature of rapid fan bases to panic when their team loses a game at home in a short series, New York Yankees fans can take solace in the fact that all four-division series are now deadlocked at 1-1. Every other team that made the playoffs and earned a home-field advantage dropped one game and now needs to win on the road. Keep an eye out for Gleyber Torres, Yankees fans. The same goes for Jazz Chisholm, too.
The Yankees will get their chance to seize back a home field advantage on Wednesday night when Judge and the rest of the Yankees offense will get another chance to battle the tenacious Royals pitching staff. The game starts at 7:08 p.m. EST and New York Yankees fans probably will be glued to their TV sets.
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