New York Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes. (Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports)
Did the Bears draft another Mitch Trubisky in Justin Fields?
The Yankees have only played two games in the playoffs this year but fans are already seeing the same old patterns emerging after a loss to Cleveland.
During the broadcast of the Yankees‘ Game 2 loss to the Guardians in the ALDS, Bob Costas looked at a young New York fan and said this was probably the worst thing that’s happened to him in his young life. But not to worry, the series isn’t over yet.
Older and wiser Yankees fans know that the worst is probably yet to come. They’ve watched their team fall flat on their face in the playoffs one too many times to be under the delusion that it couldn’t happen again this season.
So even though the series is tied at 1-1, even though the Yankees are far from out of it, a lot of fans are still bracing for impact, especially with the series heading to Cleveland.
The problem? An offense that should be high-powered continually falling short in the big moments.
Yankees Twitter blames the offense for loss to Guardians
This is the first time in franchise history the Yankees struck out 15+ times and went 0-5 or worse with RISP in a postseason game.
— Katie Sharp (@ktsharp) October 14, 2022
Yankees just not executing in the clutch. 0-for-7. Not taking advantage of the six walks drawn. Can’t always rely on the long ball. #RepBX #Postseason
— Dan Clark (@DanClarkSports) October 14, 2022
It’s insane how many genuinely bad players get regular playing time for the Yankees
— Patrick Daugherty (@RotoPat) October 14, 2022
The Yankees can’t win games with a stalled offense (it’s never about the pitching). This team is built to score more than 2 runs in a game.
— Yankeesource (@YankeeSource) October 14, 2022
The Yankees’ offense disappearing act is as much a part of October as pumpkin spice.
— Neil Keefe (@NeilKeefe) October 14, 2022
Yankees offense completely dying in the playoffs is just a yearly tradition at this point
— Not Hoodie Maybin (@HoodieMaybin) October 14, 2022
Somehow every other offense usually looks more alive than the #Yankees’ does so many times in a season. It’s astonishing.
— Marcus Blumberg (@MarcusBlumberg) October 14, 2022
Some of Boone’s managerial decisions were questionable today but this loss is COMPLETELY on the offense! COMPLETELY!!! #yankees
— Shannon Illig (@Mitz102) October 14, 2022
Today, the #Yankees lost because they did all the things they do when they usually lose.
– No hits w/RISP. Zero.
– Questionable managing
– Struck-out… a lot.
– Sloppy defense
– Kept Donaldson on the roster
– No offense from Aaron Judge
— Greg Andriano (@gregandriano05) October 14, 2022
This is the Baby Bombers Era Yankees in a nutshell
High Octane High Home Run offense suddenly grinds to a halt in the Post Season as everyone strikes out trying to hit home runs.
15 Ks
0 hits with runners in scoring position
Eek!
— SuperJude™ (@SuperJude_) October 14, 2022
Go off on Boone for his bullpen management if you want, but the offense is to blame for this one.
The only runs they got were an accident because the ump made the wrong call and they left a village on base. Gotta be better.
— Yankees Analytics Nerds (1-1) (@YankeesNerds) October 14, 2022
Players in MLB History to have combined 7+ K and 0 H in 1st two player games of single postseason:
Aaron Judge – 2022
Jerry Reuss – 1981 pic.twitter.com/NEzAgAmxge
— Greg Harvey (@BetweenTheNums) October 14, 2022
Obviously, one game isn’t a big enough sample size to say the New York offense will definitely sink the team’s playoff hopes. They scored four runs in the Game 1 victory. The bats could get going again as the weekend continues.
It’s just concerning when the offense has let them down consistently over the years despite all the investment and productivity seen during the regular season.
Watching Aaron Judge hit 62 home runs is meaningless if he goes 0-for-5 with four strikeouts in a critical playoff appearance. He’s struck out eight times already in just two games.
