About the Postseason: On to Round Two

About the Postseason: On to Round Two

By Tim Kabel

October 12, 2024

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The Yankees won Game Four of the ALDS against the Kansas City Royals 3-1 on Thursday night and won the series three games to one. They will begin playing in the ALCS on Monday, October 14th against either the Detroit Tigers or the Cleveland Guardians. I have a few thoughts regarding the ALDS and the ALCS.

·      On Thursday night, Aaron Judge was on base three out of four times and had a double. If we are going to start worrying about Aaron Judge and think that he's not up to the challenge, then we might as well throw in the towel right now. He is the best player in the American League and one of the best players ever to wear a Yankees’ uniform. He will be fine.

·      It is ironic and interesting that the Yankees could begin playing the ALCS against the Guardians, a team which used to be known as the Indians on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a holiday that used to be known as Columbus Day.

·      Gerrit Cole came up big Thursday night, as many of us thought he would. This is the reason he is on the team. This is the reason why he has that huge contract. This is the reason why he is the ace of the staff. He conceivably could have pitched the 8th inning but since they won, there is no point in quibbling.

·      Anthony Rizzo should not be added to the ALCS roster unless he is fully healed and able to field and hit effectively. Otherwise, it would be counterproductive to have him on the roster, because if he is on the roster, you know Aaron Boone will play him. There is no circumstance under which DJ LeMahieu should be added to the playoff roster. It was under discussion prior to the ALDS but thankfully, I haven't heard much about it lately.

·      The best part about the Yankees making the ALCS is that we have the potential of seven more games of hearing Bob Costas do play by play. We will be treated to endless comparisons and anecdotes involving either Ty Cobb, Al Kaline, and Sparky Anderson or Bob Feller, Bob Lemon, and Rocky Colavito. There has to be a special place reserved in heaven for Ron Darling simply for putting up with this for so long. For me, one game would be too long. By the way, if Al Kaline were playing today, he would get a contract to endorse batteries.

·      This is an observation, not a criticism or a complaint. If you were going to put Duke Ellis in the game, which Aaron Boone did on Thursday night, why would you not have him attempt to steal a base? The whole point of having him on the roster is to use him as a base runner and a base stealer yet, on Thursday night, he replaced Giancarlo Stanton but remained tied to first base. Ultimately, it did not affect the outcome of the game but, it is worth noting. As an aside, if I had told you prior to the ALDS that GianCarlo Stanton would finish the ALDS with more stolen bases than Duke Ellis, you would not have believed me. I don't think Stanton would have believed me. I know Bob Costas would not have believed me because he was issuing handwritten disclaimers and letters of apology to all the fans who watched Stanton trrudge down the baselines.

·      Not to be a nitpicker but, it would have been nice and possibly prudent if Aaron Boone had used more of his relievers over the last three games. They will not play until Monday and hopefully the pitchers who were not used often will not be rusty when they have to get into a game in the ALCS.

·      After Game One, Alex Verdugo was 1 for 11 in the ALDS. I wonder if Jasson Dominguez will get a start in the ALCS. No one knows of course but, I think it is somewhat unlikely, unless Verdugo continues to go hitless. Even then, Boone does tend to favor veterans over youngsters. Similarly, Jon Berti may become the starter at first base, relegating both Oswaldo Cabrera and Ben Rice to the bench. I think Cabrera has merited playing time based on his performance all season long.

·      I had to listen to some of the radio broadcast on WFAN the other day and it is good to note that John Sterling has lost nothing off his eephus pitch since he returned from his permanent retirement. I'm going to follow his lead and go back to work two days before Boss’s Day so I can receive gifts and then retire again. I will refer to this as “Pulling a Sterling.”

·      Luis Gil will presumably start a game during the ALCS. He last pitched on September 28th. It's unfortunate that he couldn't get a little action in at some point during the ALDS just to remain sharp.

·      Giancarlo Stanton is the offensive version of Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez. He is an average player during the regular season but excels during the postseason. This year, Stanton actually had a solid year when he wasn't hurt. However, he flourishes once the playoffs arrive. If the Yankees managed to win the World Series this year, and Stanton plays a major role, I would imagine that the Yankees will no longer consider trying to trade him and will allow him to remain with the team through the end of his contract in 2027. On the other hand, if he gets a World Series ring to go along with his MVP, he may decide that he wants to finish his career close to home and request a trade to the West Coast. It could go either way.

·      I received the final piece of decor for my office at home. It is a wall hanging of Thurman months and lashing a hit. That, along with my tin sign wall hanging of Babe Ruth with the quote “Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.” add a nice touch to the office.

·      I need to take a moment to address the passing of Luis Tiant. Although he only pitched for the Yankees for two seasons, I always admired him, and I am surprised that he is not in the Hall of Fame. His numbers were almost identical to Catfish Hunter’s. Tiant’s performance in the 1975 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds was legendary.

·      I don't really have a preference as to whether the Yankees play the Tigers or the Guardians but, if they can avoid Tarik Skubal, that would be a good thing. Even though he probably could only pitch two games in the series, it would still be nice to not face him.