Clarke Schmidt (#36, 28, RHP, 5-5, 2.85) vs. Seth Lugo (#67, 34, RHP, 16-9, 3.00)
YANKEES
2B G. Torres R
RF Juan Soto L
CF Aaron Judge R
C Austin Wells L
DH G. Stanton R
3B J. Chisholm L
SS A. Volpe R
1B O. Cabrera S
LF Alex Verdugo L
ROYALS
2B M. Massey L
SS Bobby Witt R
DH V. Pasquantino L
C S. Perez R
1B Yuli Gurriel R
LF MJ Melendez L
3B M. Garcia R
RF Adam Frazier L
CF Kyle Isbel L
I’d have liked to have seen Ben Rice given a shot, but I don’t mind Waldo.
Well, THAT wasn’t a fun start with that Soto fucking looooooooong flyball out.
Yankees warning track power this series
And then Judge scorches one but right at Witt. Fuck. That was not a fun start.
Judge hit it hard too.
Hey, Clarke, you don’t get paid by the pitch, dude.
Boone “we have a lot of guys who can beat you.” Are they on the bench?
So much for hard hit balls.
Not very good vibes at all.
Yankees 2023 second half 33-38
2022 35-35
2024 36-38
Who in the fucking WORLD gives a shit about Schmidt’s two bad RELIEF appearances in the 2022 Playoffs?
Good god, Schmidt, you don’t have to throw a ton of pitches every fucking inning!!
It’s a good thing Cash picked up some complementary bats at the deadline.
They were fucked on the cheap fuck waiver cuts because their record was better than the other teams. I’m sure they would have taken Pham had he gotten to them. Or Amed Rosario.
Maybe could’ve been proactive at the deadline. We were always going to get a late pick. Cash knew that.
Pham was traded at the trade deadline. Who would think he would be available on waivers a month later? That was just bizarre cheap fuckery.
Also, at the trade deadline, Ben Rice had a .745 OPS (he had a .212 OPS after the trade deadline) AND Anthony Rizzo was on the way back. Why would they think they needed to trade for a first baseman? And they had the Martian coming back for the outfield. They DID go out and trade for Jazz, who had the best offensive season of ANYone who was traded for at the trade deadline.
Wow, Lindor granny. Good for the Mets.
That was some shitty luck for Volpe.
Costas is such a windbag.
Oh my god, he is insufferable.
Throw balls please. It’s our only shot.
Is the line fair or what? It hit the line.
It did hit the line
How the fuck did that not hit the line?! It clearly hit the line!
This is where John McEnroe would come in especially handy as manager.
They’re getting fucked on all the lucky calls so far.
Running long at bats is probably the best we ca hope for against Lugo.
I mean, it’s fair enough to say that they put up much better at-bats against Lugo in the third than the second.
Cabrera has been looking good lately. that plus leadoff Torres makes the lineup a lot longer. not that it mattered here.
I reeeeeeeally think they should just lead Soto off. Imagine if Soto was up there instead of Gleyber.
Blah, blah, blah. Why aren’t they interviewing Chris Chambliss?
That was somehow more insufferable than hearing Costas bloviate.
Schmidt has such good stuff, he really doesn’t need to dick around the corners. Just go at guys. He did with Massey there, and got a big double play.
WHY IS COSTAS SO BAD AT READING FLY BALLS OFF OF THE BAT?!
God Judge is RIGHT there.
That’s usually a good thing, at least in the past it’s been the case for Judge.
The team has warning track power. Or near warning track power.
It is absurd that the umpire was calling balls strikes against Wells that he was calling balls against Soto. So weird.
You could almost pinch run right now.
They will probably need his bat later.
Also, great job by TBS of not having a camera on the play at all, so we had NO IDEA if the Royals had a play at the plate.
It was ridiculous.
Just saw that, FFS.
Umpires are such a bad idea.
And when we can SEE the box, and thus every mistake, after mistake, after mistake – it’s an abysmal idea.
Terrible camera work on that double, didn’t follow the play at all.
It was shockingly bad.
Also shockingly bad? Soto’s ability to get to a ball.
Stop dicking around the corners, Schmidt!
Salvy so doesn’t work as a nickname.
It’s like calling the Savior “Savy.”
Diaz walks the first two batters in the 9th on 10 pitches, with the Mets up 4-1.
None of it matters just give them the trophy.
That was a nice AB phenom.
Dugie can’t even bunt!?
LOL I hate this guy
RISP this is where we shine
Schwarber K’s, Mets finish off the Phillies.
And the sun’s gonna come up tomorrow.
Bases loaded even better. We REALLY shine bases loaded.
Lugo has them right where he wants them.
Sac fly by Soto.
The key to bases loaded and one out is that you should at LEAST score a run, so I’m fine with just a run there. I’d obviously prefer Judge to get a hit here, though, of course.
Was that ball 4?
They made the least out of that, so very Yankees.
The LEAST would have been a double play, so I’m fine with at least a run.
I’m not. Soto and Judge bases loaded one out is like your kid getting a C-.
Made the least, means they scored. Made nothing would’ve been the worst.
They totally aren’t afraid of Judge. I mean Wells has been in a giant slump for over a month and they pitch to Judge.
Soto really got out of the way of the ball that should have grazed him and scored the run with no out.
Judge hitting fly balls that don’t reach the warning track is… unnerving.
Yep Rizzo would’ve taken one for the team.
What a bad idea by Volpe on that throw.
Volpe was making those beautifully in the first half.
He’s been air-mailing them long enough now, though, that he might just try not attempting that throw.
How is the camerawork so bad?
Almost like the cameras are manned by umpires.
Kyle Isbel 83 OPS+
He’s really killed the Yankees this season.
How did Massey not go around on that 0-2 pitch?
Soto is SUCH a bad defender.
That inning sure went to shit in a hurry. Schmidt was cruising before that fucking ground ball that Volpe couldn’t handle.
I am tired of these two years of Volpe.
He sure does seem to be a terrible defender in the worst situations
Well that was a fun 1 inning.
Yeah, and some people are happy with Soto and Judge in that situation getting 1 whole f’ing run. This team is RISP garbage.
And this is why the top of the 5th was such a massive failure.
The top of the fifth inning is why Clarke Schmidt got rocked by the #9 hitter and Massey with two outs?
Just more of the same from their hitters.
When you don’t have big innings you’re vulnerable. That was Schmidt on the mound, not Cole. Maybe he feels less pressure up 4 or 5. In any case they could be up 4-2. The Yankees got one hit and two walks that inning. If it weren’t for walks this would be an elimination game.
Clay Holmes?!?!?
Pat Maholmes? Where’s Willie Randolph and Chris Chambliss?
Good job coming into the game to walk the first batter on five pitches, Holmes!
Yankees score one and it’s like yeah we’re great. We had the best record in the AL.
So many weasley players, any small adversity and they crumble.
There’s at least one on the staff who shall remain unnamed who comes unglued almost for no reason at all, but I don’t think Schmidt’s done anything to earn that reputation. It looked bad, though.
Maybe Schmidt’s been getting tips from Rodon on dealing with adversity?
This is why Holmes can never be the closer. You never know if he’s going to have it or not.
So just like Chapman
Yeah, pretty much. That’s why Weaver has been such a relief.
How are ALL of the umpires this series just making up the strike zone as they go along? It’s been three different guys, how are they ALL like this?
Stanton has been much better than expected this year.
If you’re going to talk shit, Jazz, you have to do better than 0-2.
Talking all that shit and he goes out and pulls an oh fer. Very embarrassing, Jazz.
Who brings in a reliever to face VOLPE?!
In the last month of the season we ranked 24th in runs scored and 16th in OPS
LOL
What the fuck was that call, ump!?
Oh, come on.
You can’t play a game with umpires like this. I mean, it’s just ridiculous.
The Speedy Giancarlo Stanton
That was WELL inside. They can’t use the best umps for the playoffs?
All three home plate umpires this series have been awful.
Giancarlo “Rickey Henderson” Stanton
You have to win a game where Stanton steals a base. In fact, you should win just by the fact of that having happened.
Can’t you pinch hit the Martian here?
It really sounds like Darling has the box that shows the strike zone – but Costas doesn’t.
At least Melendez also has Soto-esque range.
How can they NEVER get the big base hit?
The Yankees heard rumors of this so-called “two out hit with RISP,” but think it is just a myth.
To be fair, Stanton DID drive in a run with a two-out base hit. The runner wasn’t in scoring position, though, so that’s why it happened.
And, by the way, he’s also been caught cheating in the major leagues.
Yankees with 3 hits and 5 walks through 6 innings and two runs. 0/3 RISP, 3/22 for the series. Hooray we got a sacrifice fly last inning. Boone will babble on about we had the opportunities and good ABs.
Even in September a mediocre 16th in OPS but a dreadful 24th in runs. Boone, Rowson, choke? Approach!
Holmes is a strike away from something he never did as a closer.
Well, we’ll always have Holmes having actually pitched a clean inning. That’s something to warm you in the cold winter months.
I have to applaud the Yankees on their clever “Never use Holmes in a save situation” approach. They’ve figured out the only way he can pitch well.
Sure would be nice if Soto was up second this inning and not third. If only there was some way that the line of hitters could be lined up in a scenario where the two best hitters get the most plate appearances. If only.
A ground ball to second for Verdugo?!!? How is that POSSIBLE?!!?
That’s my Verdugo
That’s literally all I will remember about him. Perfect.
This umpire’s strike zone is so fucking annoying.
What’s more improbable – the calls the umpire’s making, or Holmes actually working a 1-2-3 inning? I just… can’t… decide.
Holmes has been really good more often that he’s been really bad as a Yankee.
Time for Judge to do finally wake up, get up there, and hit a ball that dies on the warning track.
It’s such an unenjoyable watch during these long stretches where the hitters just can’t do anything good.
Hey, Judge, maybe try doing something for a change!
Every fucking lucky call has gone the Royals’ way. This is very frustrating.
No, that’s not true. I remember a number of times thinking how awful the call was, even if it helped us. There have been a pile of those.
The umpires just stink. All of them. Some may stink less than others, but that’s about the best you can hope for.
Costas really eliding Judge’s soul-shattering bomb off Price.
Why do we even root for Mudville?
No that was pathetic by Judge but he DID CHECK HIS SWING.
Yeah, they better mention it in the bottom of the inning.
I’ve seen batters go further than Judge not called out. That was ROUGH.
Wut
There’s no way they win this game after all these wasted opportunities.
There’s no way they can win game 5.
Game 5? You assume too much. 😎
Heh, I had the EXACT same feeling watching the game. Shocked that they somehow won anyway.
Judge, so much cringe.
I mean, it was ball four, and he checked his swing on it, he shouldn’t feel bad about that, should he?
At least Ron Darling has our backs on that call.
Thank goodness that hung up there longer than expected, so that Soto could reach it.
A replay would’ve shown no swing and taken 10 second but for some reason even in the postseason you can’t do that. I understand balls and strikes are subjective but that fucking WAS NOT.
It really is fascinating how whether a batter swings or not is 100% subjective.
And WHY IS THAT THE CASE?
They fiddle with all kinds of minor rule things, but this is a major thing that smacks you upside the head all the time. Why wasn’t this fixed ages ago?
They should loosen post season replay rules.
That was the first call that really pissed me off. OTOH Wells would’ve stranded the runner.
Have you been WATCHING?!
The Royals haven’t been impressive…except after Volpe fucks up a ground ball.
Stanton for God!
Playoff Stanton!
G wants a piece of Ohtani’s 50/50.
STANTON!!!
Lost in this was a ridiculous first pitch strike on Jazz.
Insane.
SO INSANE. You see his reaction? He was SHOCKED.
That was one of the worst calls ive ever seen
It was insane. And yet there have been 3 or 4 calls this game close to it.
I just got here and was gonna ask you guys about that pitch…..absolute wtf
How do you pull an oh for after all that shit talking, Jazz?!
Stanton the only Yankee with a pulse.
Still doubt Giancarlo hits for the cycle
I’m shocked Costas hasn’t said that!
Volpe HAS to be running here. Why is he not running?!!?
My guess because they want to make sure Soto gets up.
2-0 and you swing at that Waldo?
That was SUCH a bad swing.
I think we all have faith in Alex Verdugo coming through in the clutch here, right? Right? Right?
Back to back walks with two outs, and Verdugo….swings at the first pitch and grounds out. What a brilliant guy he is.
After a brief deviation, Verdugo back to his real self.
How, how did Verdugo MISS SECOND BASE with that ground ball?
Shocking.
Fucking Verdugo
I just hate Verdugo. I argued very long and passionately for Jasson to start ALL of these games and most people didn’t agree with me.
But he sucks.
I mean imagine this team with another good hitter, maybe we’d score!
He’s played a really good left field this series, I don’t mind it. Dominguez has made way too many BIZARRELY bad plays in the field in the last couple of weeks. Not just bad defense, but BIZARRELY bad. Like he’s never played the outfield before in his life.
Even if anyone was unclear if Verdugo sucked or not, the fact that Boone chose to start him proves it through the sucky player/dummy manager transitive property.
Welp, I hate it. And every time Verdugo makes a pitcher look like Chien Ming Wang I hate it more.
I wanted no part of Verdugo. I disliked him coming into the season and now I can’t stand him at all. I’ll be angry watching him on other teams. Fuck Verdugo.
Cashman’s boy; obviously Cashman doesn’t like Jasson. They have run Volpe out there for two seasons starting nearly every game, quite inexplicably.
I’m with you, Clay.
Never liked him and they must have known they were getting likely getting Grisham anyway?
I said before the series started essentially the same thing, and am fully anti-Verdugo and always will be. I’d rather see Jasson make mistakes than have to experience Verdugo for one … more … second. The fact that they haven’t hit for him even against lefties late is … mind boggling. (8th inning 2 on 2 out, I’m looking at you! Boone is the absolute worst tactical manager. He’s just lucky he has so many good bullpen options.)
Yeah, that punch out on Judge was awful, not close to a swing.
Wells is just…. Yeah.
Yeah, with everyone else sucking, it’s been been disguised a bit just HOW BAD Wells has been for most of the series.
For over a month. He actually had a good game 1.
this is a big inning. come on, Kahnle.
I honestly would have let Kahnle go after Witt.
Me too I guess. Weaver’s not yet a proven commodity and Kahnle looked good. But I dunno.
Agree. Boone being Boone though.
Kahnle was pitching great. Terrible move
I don’t know. Kahnle looked good and there’s a game tomorrow. I don’t know.
The most inevitable thing in the history of inevitability.
Nice play Volpe!
This is it.
Volpe rescues Boone and weaver
“Line drive base hit!” Bob Costas, who doesn’t realize the ball has to actually land first for it to be a hit.
I thought it was a hit also.
Brett, Maholmes. Witt’s dad? Are there no Yankees in the crowd?
ANOTHER two strike hit. Just painful.
Again. Just… inevitable.
This series is the ultimate illustration of what happens when a stoppable force hits a moveable object.
Yep, Boone had to meddle. He does this far too often. Kahnle only threw 13 pitches.
Boone does innumberable things that are beyond indefensible. This is something you might not have done, but it’s not an obviously indefensible move.
To me it just seems like he has gone from waiting too long to cycling through the whole squad. At least this series.
Salvador Perez is unreal
I mean that was a bad pitch because it was not even close to being a strike, not because it was hittable
Where was Volpe?
When a guy’s looking sharp maybe don’t mess with success. Wait for a baserunner and that what Boone usually does.
How will Gurriel cheat here?
Being beating by this jerk would be just awful.
Please don’t let it happen, Weaver!
…
UPD: Whew.
Whew!
It all went according to plan!
I kind of liked going to Weaver. You need this game. Use your best. Screw the “one inning reliever” prejudice.
It turned into a nailbiter, but I liked the move when he did it.
And turning to the mysteries of the universe, how much debt must Mookie Betts have if with this salary he can’t afford a dermatologist?
That’s what I like to see from Gurriel
Ball 4?
Blah, Wells.
I mean, I know “we have to get Wells going,” but you have the Martian on the bench.
Sigh.
Nine walks, 4 hits including a home run and a double.
Umpires are a joke.
A bad joke, not funny – just to be completely clear.
Another bad call by the ump.
If the Yankees were secretly Six Million Dollar Manning a cyborg Goose Gossage in the clubhouse all season long this would be a good time to unleash him on an unsuspecting playoffs.
As long as the Royals don’t have a cyborg George Brett to hit.
That’s when we hit ’em with the cyborg Billy Martin. Who runs on solar power and George Dickel.
Wow. Another 1,2,3 save. Yay!
God, I love Weaver so fucking much.
Their specialty is winning games so you feel they lost.
Win!
Cole needs 7 1/3rd scoreless in him.
Because if they lose, they can’t win Game 5.
Judge needs to hit two 3-run HRs.
At LEAST two.
Where’s the guy in the Yankee shirt rubbing it in on mahomes?
Weaver is a pleasure to watch. Like the fastball inside off the plate setting up the breaking pitch on the outside corner, Holmes and really a slew of late-inning relievers make Weaver look so very good!
Missed most of the game but caught up thru the comments…turned on just to hear costas incorrectly say judge is hitless in the series. Doofus.
Judge still looked off in that at bat even though he walked.
Then got to see a terrible call in the 1-0 to Stanton. So yeah it looks like what I read here was right – terrible umpire.
Yay win in a game they choked so badly. And it seems there will be more baseball in Yankee stadium this year!
Sometimes inevitable is merely evitable.
Just the other day, I referred to Stanton as “the husk of Giancarlo Stanton” in a conversation with an O’s fan. Guess I got my comeuppance.
Turning it over to the other game, great job Dylan Cease
If SD can pull this series out, the Yankees might really rue their eventual loss. KC, Detroit, SD/NYM is as cushy a playoff run as any contender could hope to have
yes, but also Dodgers fans are even worse than us.
Funny that Holmes getting a 1-2-3 inning seems way more improbable than Stanton stealing a base.
toggling between adrenaline, cortisol, and some other shit
I can’t believe we got an EVEN WORSE call than the Judge check swing IN THE SAME GAME but that strike one to Stanton feels like one of the worst strike calls of the year! you NEVER see Stanton that incredulous.
Did you see the Jazz Chisholm first strike call? It was like he saw a ghost.
Major League Baseball must be pulling for the Dodgers to win Game 5. Mets/Dodgers is a lot better of a series, ratings-wise, than Mets/Padres.
Same with the Yankees.
They’d get exactly what they deserve with this idiotic postseason format if the Dodgers lost again. There were no dominant teams this year but this best of 3 and best of 5 stuff is total garbage in a sport where winning 60% of games is a great season
It seems even worse when you read it
Katie Sharp
Yankees in Game 3
Stanton: 3-5, 2 XBH, 2 RBI
Rest of team: 1-25, 0 XBH, 1 RBI
The playoffs are a time for the big stars to step up and win a game for the team. Like Lindor yesterday and Stanton. Time for either judge or Cole to do that tonight and then we can have a nice relaxing “day of atonement” this Saturday 🙂