The 2018 New York Yankees regular season has come to an end and it was certainly one to remember. The team finished in 2nd place in the AL East with a record of 100-62, an impressive campaign for rookie manager Aaron Boone.
The team broke several records, most notably the record for most home-runs by a team in a single season with 267. This came from all across the board as well with the Yankees amassing at least 20 HR’s of production from each position on the field.
We saw absolutely stellar campaigns from many players from rookies Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres, slugger Giancarlo Stanton, ace Luis Severino, and the majority of the bullpen. There were many story-lines written for the team during the regular season but as any Yankee season goes, the regular season success is never enough. On Wednesday October 3rd , the Yanks will face off in the Bronx in a one-game elimination playoff matchup against the Oakland Athletics.
The Athletics come into the playoffs as arguably the hottest team in baseball. Midway through June the team had a 34-36 record looking like another disappointing year, before the team ripped off a stretch of a 63-29 record the rest of the way. The team is headlined by their star studded slugger Khris Davis, who finished the season with 48 HR and 123 RBI, along with a compliment of talented infielders in Matt Chapman and Jed Lowrie, who both boasted .800+ OPS and 20+ HR’s.
The team’s dominant offense is complimented by one of the all-time seasons in the history of the game by close Blake Treinen who became the first pitcher in the history of baseball to finish a season with at least 30 saves, 100 K’s and an ERA under 1.00.
The Yanks will indeed have a lot to deal with against this Athletics team but also have some big factors on their side going into the game. The consistency of Miguel Andujar, who put up a .297 BA, 25 HR, and 97 RBI and DH Giancarlo Stanton, who added 38 HR and 100 RBI himself were some standouts in the lineup to name a few. The team had a historically dominant offense with six players finishing with an OPS above .800 (Judge, Andujar, Stanton, Hicks, Didi, and Gleyber).
This was complimented by a stellar season from Yankees ace Luis Severino, finishing the year with a 19-8 record, 3.39 ERA and 220K and a bullpen that was not too shabby either, featuring two pitchers (Betances and Chapman) boasting K/9 of 15.00 or higher. The Yanks will make their decision either today or tomorrow in regards to who will start the game, but will have plenty of good choices between Severino, Tanaka, and J.A. Happ.
On the Oakland side, they do not have many great choices in their starting rotation so many expect it to be a bullpen game on their side. One thing is for certain if the Yanks are going to win they are going to need to get the production out of the players mentioned to beat a talented Oakland bunch. Expect plenty of runs and fireworks in the Bronx on Wednesday night, as the Yanks will play for a chance at a date with the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS.