Andrew’s One Good and One Bad
By Andrew Hefner
October 18, 2024
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It's been a while since I’ve had to write one of these following a loss, but this game gave me a lot to digest. The Yanks stayed hot in Game 3, but unfortunately, the pitching at the end just couldn’t pull through for the first time this postseason, and the Guardians bats got hot at the right time. There was a lot to be excited about and again there was improvement, but the late push just didn’t work out.
It’s time to look at one good and one bad for Game 3 of the ALCS.
The Good
For the first time this offseason, the “2024 Bash Bros” appeared. All postseason Giancarlo Stanton has shown his immense power at the plate and has helped power the Yanks to the position they currently are in. On the flip side, Aaron Judge started off struggling, having rough at-bats and not making good contact. Slowly, though, Judge has been heating up and last night the two slugger’s paths collided as they mashed back-to-back home runs to tie the game, and then take the lead in the 8th. Everything about both of those at-bats showed immense growth for both of the stars as they finally were able to connect. The home runs were also hit off of top closer Emanuel Clase who time and time again have proven that he is one of the best closers in baseball at the moment.
Stanton had also been on two times already this game as he worked two walks early on. He once again showed last night that he is going to be the leader of this postseason team and that he will step up when needed.
Volpe was also on base three times last night also working two walks and mashing a double. He would end up scoring two of the Yankees’ five runs as well.
Overall, the team has been looking better and the guys who have needed to get hot, have gotten hot. Judge is looking to be back in midseason form, and like I already mentioned, Stanton is going to keep hitting.
The Bad (Just for Today)
For the first time this postseason, I will have to award the “bad” to the Yankees’ bullpen. Their performance last night brought back some bad memories of prior postseason campaigns.
After taking the lead late in the game, the Yankees were all set to put in their new top closer, Luke Weaver. Unfortunately, for the first time this postseason, Weaver was not the answer. His outing didn’t look fundamentally wrong, but the Guardians' offense got hot going into the 9th, and ultimately, were able to beat up on Weaver for the first time this series.
After Weaver, Boone decided to go with “disgraced” former closer, Clay Holmes. Clay was famously not the best this regular season in high-leverage situations, even earning the nickname “Cardiac Clay”. So why, you may ask, was Holmes trusted in this position? To be honest, I couldn’t exactly tell you. Clay has looked phenomenal so far this postseason (when not put in a tight game to close) and has proven that he can remain a major piece of this bullpen, despite his struggles. This outing was a high-leverage situation, though, so there was no good explanation for why Clay would be trusted here. I think the simple fact of the matter was that there was not really a better option to put in, and Boone was still looking to plan for the future with Luis Gil on the bump the next day. Just please… never again.
Now with only a 2-1 series lead, the Yanks will throw Luis Gil on the mound for the first time this postseason. With a decent regular season showing, Gil hopefully won’t have a big problem with the Guardians lineup, and the Yankees can cruise into Game 5. I know fans will be frustrated at this loss, especially after the amazing late heroics of Judge and Stanton. At least we know they are both in full postseason form for the future.
Game 4, here we come!
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