About the Postseason: One More Hill to Climb

About the Postseason: One More Hill to Climb

By Tim Kabel

October 21, 2024

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The Yankees punched their ticket to the 2024 World Series by beating the Cleveland Guardians 5-2 on Saturday night, winning the series in five games. They were exciting games and many of them went back and forth. The Yankees will now be playing in their first World Series since 2009. That was 15 years ago. For the Yankees, that's a long time.

As I am writing this, the Yankees’ opponent has not yet been determined. I do not have a preference, although if the Yankees did play the Mets and were unfortunate enough to lose to them, legions of Mets’ fans would come crawling out of the woodwork to make the lives of Yankees’ fans miserable for quite some time. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's just step back and enjoy what the Yankees have accomplished so far.

Based on how streaky and inconsistent the Yankees were during the season, it is somewhat surprising that they only lost two games in the ALDS and ALCS combined. The Yankees look very strong headed into the World Series and now have several days to set their rotation and give their players time to rest and hopefully, be at full strength and ready to go. It is unclear if the World Series will open at Yankee Stadium or Dodger Stadium. We will know fairly soon. We can wait to assess the Yankees’ chances until we know which team they are playing. For now, we can enjoy the victory over the Guardians.

While we are waiting for the World Series to begin, I would like to address a few issues. I have always believed in giving credit where credit is due and in changing my mind or my opinion when I am presented with facts that make me do so. I'm also not above admitting a mistake.

First, I would like to give credit to Giancarlo Stanton, who, not only was the ALCS MVP but, has been amazing this entire postseason. I did not expect much from him coming into the season and was among those who questioned whether he should even be on the roster before the season started. He has been rejuvenated and has worked very hard to become a tremendous player in stretches. He still has periods when he becomes almost invisible but, he hasn't done that lately and he certainly hasn't done that in the postseason. He has rewritten the story of his Yankees’ career. If he continues his torrid offensive pace, and the Yankees win the World Series, he will be revered by Yankees’ fans for the rest of his career and beyond. He will be able to play out the remainder of his contract in a harmonious existence with the fans. He may decline but, what he did this season will certainly pad his resume. His esteem among the fans will increase greatly.

Next, I would like to say that I am completely surprised and pleased by the transformation that has occurred with Gleyber Torres during the second half of the season and especially since he became the regular leadoff hitter. He has been tremendous. He has taken a season that was essentially a disaster and turned it into a major success. In fact, he has done so well as the team's leadoff hitter that I could now envision a scenario in which the Yankees bring him back. It might not be an excessively long contract but, the question becomes who could they get to fill his role. Is Torres perfect? Absolutely not. Does he have flaws? He most certainly does. Is there a risk involved with bringing him back due to his history of defensive deficiencies, base running blunders, and an occasional lack of hustle? Yes, those are all risks and concerns. However, if he remains a catalyst into the World Series and helps the Yankees win, it might be worth bringing him back because there may not be a better option. In addition, he fits this team the way it is presently constructed. That would especially be true if the Yankees re-sign Juan Soto, which is the priority. Torres became an excellent table setter in front of Soto and Aaron Judge. I was staunchly opposed to the idea of bringing him back for most of the season. However, circumstances have changed and so has my opinion. Now, the Yankees may decide to go in another direction and depending on what that is, it may make sense as well. However, right now, I think bringing Torres back might make the most sense and be the best thing for the Yankees long-term.

Finally, I think Aaron Boone deserves some credit for getting the Yankees to the World Series. I still do not believe he is a great manager. I would not be shocked if he makes a blunder that costs them a game or even the World Series. I will never believe that he is a good manager. However, this team may have been sufficiently Boone-proofed by the level of talent it possesses relative to the competition so that they could conceivably win the World Series. After all, they will be playing in the World Series, winning it would not be an outlandish result.  

Still and all, Boone deserves credit and congratulations for managing the Yankees to a World Series berth. I guess the best way to look at it is to compare him to Inspector Clouseau, who always managed to solve the case, despite whatever mishaps and blunders occurred along the way. Aaron Boone could be his baseball equivalent. I found it interesting that during the postgame interview on Saturday, when Meredith Marakovits asked Hal Steinbrenner about Aaron Boone, he was not overly effusive in his praise. He simply said, “he did a good job.” That was it. It seems as if Hal may want a World Series championship and will not be happy unless he gets one. Anyway, those issues can be addressed at a later date.

For now, we should celebrate the Yankees for what they have achieved and look forward to the next and final hill that they have to climb this offseason. It is also time to give credit to those who deserve it, especially those who have been criticized in the past. Congratulations and on to the World Series.