The New York Yankees had to suffer a bit on Wednesday. It’s postseason baseball, though, and no victory worth celebrating comes without some drama and suspense. In the end, they stole a huge game from Kansas City and took control of the AL Divisions Series against the Royals, two games to one.
The Yankees will now try to close out the tough, pesky Royals on Thursday night at Kauffman Stadium behind ace Gerrit Cole. Michael Wacha will take the ball for the home club.
The Yankees are getting the job done without their superstar slugger
While he made much better contact and took competitive at-bats (signals that he might be close to breaking out of his postseason funk), Yankees star Aaron Judge wasn’t really involved in the run-scoring process.
The Yankees, once again, won a playoff game without their MVP. Some people don’t think they can win in October with Judge struggling, but they have played three and won two to this point — they are doing it. It’s harder, for sure, but entirely possible if everyone else shows up.
On Wednesday, it was the old reliable Giancarlo Stanton. People call him slow, aging, and overrated, yet he shows up every postseason and bangs. He went 3-for-5 with a run, two RBI, a double, a stolen base, and the game-winning home run in the top of the eighth.
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Several Yankees showed up on Wednesday
Besides Stanton, other people showed up to bail the Yankees with Judge slumping. Clarke Schmidt was very solid for four straight innings until the wheels fell off somewhat in the fifth, Clay Holmes notched another scoreless relief appearance, Luke Weaver notched an impressive five-out save, and Tommy Kahnle was also huge from the bullpen.
It wasn’t a night in which the offense stood up — only Stanton made a difference. That, with the pitching performance, was enough.
Can the Yankees go all the way with Judge not producing at the plate? Doubtful, at best. What they can do, however, is win postseason games in spite of his struggles, buying time for him to put it together. He seems closer to that point every game. And when it happens, the Yanks can be a powerhouse.
