From Bryan Hoch:
There will be no bottles popped this time, not after the Yankees celebrated twice already this month, toasting their entry into the postseason and having secured the American League East title for the second time in three seasons.
But the Yankees (93-68) have now clinched the best record in the AL, a development secured by the Guardians’ 4-3 loss to the Astros on Saturday evening. It ensures that the Yanks will enjoy home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs.
Asked recently if the Yankees are the team to beat heading into the playoffs, Giancarlo Stanton replied: “We’d better be. That’s the point.”
After Sunday’s regular-season finale, the Yankees’ next game will come in the American League Division Series opener at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 5.
The Yanks’ record is the third-best in the Majors, trailing only the Dodgers (96-64) and the Phillies (94-67).
I truly don’t give a shit about them backing into home field advantage, as what does it really matter how you get it? All it means is that you built up enough past success that you can AFFORD to lose these games, ya know? So I think it’s a good thing still that the Guardians losing two to the Astros is enough for the Yankees to secure Home Field Advantage and avoid having to lose to the Astros until the ALCS (granted, they will instead lose to the Tigers in the ALDS, but still).
If the Yankees DO face the Astros in the ALCS (and, godwilling, either the Royals or the Guardians will first defeat the Astros. Hey, wait, stop laughing! It’s not THAT unlikely! Oh…okay, yeah, yeah it is), this will be the FIRST time that they would face them in the ALCS with the Yankees having the home field advantage. Isn’t it absolutely SHOCKING that the Yankees have not had home field advantage in the American League since 2012? We talk about how absurd it is that the Yankees haven’t made it to the World Series since 2009, but they haven’t been the best team in the American League in a DOZEN YEARS. Now, you can certainly knock the Yankees for it, but personally, I still think it’s simply a fact that the past decade has seen a historically good Houston Astros dynasty, and a couple of really good Red Sox teams. The Yankees won 100 games in 2018, they were second in their own DIVISION. The Yankees won 103 games in 2019, they were FOUR GAMES behind the Astros. The Yankees won 99 games in 2022, they were SEVEN GAMES behind the Astros.
This year, the Yankees will finally have the best record in the American League. Hopefully they finally make it back to the World Series again.
Of course, in true Yankee fashion, they have suffered a few late in the season injuries, with Nestor Cortes going down, Jake Cousins going down, and now Anthony Rizzo breaking two of his fingers on a HBP (as shown in the featured image). Rizzo had been showing SOME life at the plate recently, so this hurts, and his scoops at first base have really helped out recently, so this is…not a BIG loss, but it’s a loss, nonetheless. It is a possibility that he’ll be able to play through the pain, which likely just means he’ll suck even more as a hitter. I’d just as soon just bring Ben Rice in here, and see if he can get hot for a series or two.
Torres 2B (R)
Soto RF (L)
Judge CF (R)
Wells C (L)
Stanton DH (R)
Chisholm 3B (L)
Dominguez LF (S)
Rice 1B (L)
Volpe SS (R)
It’s not the worst lineup.
And if they insist on Verdugo playing, then it’d be…
Torres 2B (R)
Soto RF (L)
Judge CF (R)
Wells C (L)
Stanton DH (R)
Chisholm 3B (L)
Verdugo LF (L)
Volpe SS (R)
Rice 1B (L)
or maybe…
Torres 2B (R)
Soto RF (L)
Judge CF (R)
Wells C (L)
Stanton DH (R)
Chisholm 3B (L)
Volpe SS (R)
Verdugo LF (L)
Rice 1B (L)
Anyhow, congrats to the Yankees for getting home field for a change!
They’ve been a below 500 team for the past 90 games. I don’t think HFA is going to make a difference. The phrase “they are what their record says they are” does not apply when they had two such different seasons in one. A crazy first half that had us thinking 1998, and a second half that had us thinking sadder thoughts. And to end the season in this type of run might be a hint of what’s going to happen next week.
They haven’t been good at home this year, 6 over at home, 19 over on the road.I know that’s just an anomaly but I don’t think HFA means much if anything this year.
It means they’ll probably get by the round in which they have a by(e).
It means they’re less likely to have a dismal flight home after a loss.
I think they already had the bye.
HFA is a sufficient, but not a necessary condition of the bye.
No sign of Rice this afternoon.
Really this team is utterly unpredictable. A couple of players get on a roll (Stanton and Volpe?), and you have a chance – and they have players like that.
A couple of starters allow almost nothing four or five starts in a row – and they’ve done that this year.
Or they could all suck at once. The probabilities are probably about equal.
I think Volpe has been unleavened, there’s hope for Stanton to get hot. LF, 1B, SS and now C have been bad most of the year. The Martian’s not hitting any better than Verdugo.
Wells July/August OPS 941/936; September he’s hitting 113/407. What happened? Has anyone seen a cogent analysis?
Catchers get tired at the end of a long season
Volpe was hot after the offseason and after the ASB. It’s perfectly possible this pause will give him another burst of offense.
Or not.
The lineup including Rice.
https://x.com/gjoyce9/status/1840443514146201756?s=61&t=fhOaqwtc8q2TMSXUDRjPeg
This is the free game today which is surprising, why not one of the NL wildcard races?
Game delayed
Scratch Judge, insert Trent: rain
If Stanton wasn’t such a stiff person, he could play first base. But he would have to put real work into limbering himself up.
If that would work, you’d have to think it would be a really, really good thing for him to do in any event, wouldn’t you?
So with a whole series left and a slew of records on the line, Judge decides to sit… and the season ends without him getting another hit.
Fantastic.
Apparently adding Rice is not enough to desiccate the entire field.
Also, I worry that neither Rice nor RICE will be adequate to overcome Rizzo’s hand injury.
Things that get better when you add Rice:
– Soaked electronic devices
– Soup
– Burritos
– Hopefully the Yankees, but I’m not betting on it
Sorry for exposing you all to such obvious and terrible puns. Despite a grueling process, I can’t seem to find a grain of humor.
Rice in burritos???
San Francisco Mission style. As good as La Taqueria is (no rice), I’ll take El Farolito over it any day. Not too much rice, well prepared, adds appropriate flavor / texture / balance. Of course, I’d take either of them over the national chains, which give the Mission style a bad rep because they do the rice all wrong and in too large a quantity.
I hope you wouldn’t advocate for San Diego style? Rice belongs in a burrito way before fries ever will…
Judge 7th 7&7 season in history. My college drink.
https://x.com/riveraveblues/status/1840466851064590623?s=61&t=fhOaqwtc8q2TMSXUDRjPeg
Surprised not to see Ruth on that list. Apparently he fell short by 1 PA in 1923, and < 10 PA in 1921 and 1927.
4:30 sched start
Judge marks the 7th time in MLB a player has 700 PA and a 700 SLG. The last one before the PED era was 1932 (Sosa, on PED’s, did it in 2001, what an odyssey). Lou Gehrig did it twice, in 1927, and 1930.
Grisham stealing Judge’s HR. 😉
Playoff outfield Judge,Trent, Soto. Final answer.
Yours or theirs?
Gleyber having himself a September. I’m gonna miss him when next year’s 2b is hitting 210/575. I guess I’m the only one who will miss him.
Lou Gehrig didn’t sit games out.
And look what happened to him.
LOL
Leiter is good at pitching.
Not encouraging, Ben, not encouraging.
At 179/617 I don’t see how Boone goes with The Martian and it looks like Waldo is the best offensive 1B. Maybe they’ll use him to pinch hit.
Posted before Verdugo got that hit.
I think they wanted The Martian to win the job. He didn’t.