New York Yankees Knocking On ALCS Door

After winning a tight 3-2 contest in game three, the New York Yankees are on the precipice of returning to the ALCS for the first time since the controversial 4-0 sweep at the hands of the Houston Astros in 2022. For the storied franchise with twenty-seven World Series championships, nothing short of playing a National League opponent in October will seem satisfactory.

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It Was a Night Of Exciting Baseball

The night of baseball was exhilarating. The underdog Detroit Tigers held Cleveland Guardians’ bats at bay for the second straight night, winning 3-0. The New York Yankees’ cross-town rival, the New York Mets, upset the Philadelphia Phillies to advance to the NLDS. (Can anyone say Subway series?) And late on the West Coast, the Los Angeles Dodgers pummeled the Sand Diego Padres 8-0, scoring the most runs of the evening and evening that series at 2-2.

Two scenarios of World Series matchups are tantalizing. Yankees v. Mets and Yankees v. Dodgers. Both would be a huge television draw and a boost to baseball. On the other hand, Detroit v. San Diego or Kansas City v. San Diego has the potential to be buried under an avalanche of NF and college football games.

The New York Yankees Have Gerrit Cole Tonight

The New York Yankees will send Gerrit Cole to the mound tonight in Kansas City to close out the series. These are exactly the moments when New York’s payroll is supposed to crush smaller markets. The New York Yankees pay Cole $32.4 million annually to win games like this. Cole did not pitch particularly well in game one. In that outing, he threw 5.0 innings, allowing 7 hits and 4 earned runs. The Royals took Cole out of the park and worked 2 walks while only whiffing 4 times. Needless to say, Cole needs to be sharper tonight to get the New York Yankees back to the ALCS.

Aaron Judge Needs To Hit

Aaron Judge continues to struggle at the plate. Last night he was 0-of-4. He lined out to shortstop in the first inning and gave one a ride to left in the fourth inning that appeared to get knocked down by the wind. Then he flew out to center in the fifth and stuck out in the seventh before drawing a walk in the ninth. For the series, the Yankee centerfielder is 1-of-11 with no home runs, no runs, no RBI, and has stuck out 5 times.

Judge is coming off an MVP season and is being paid $360 million over nine years. The New York Yankees aren’t paying that money for a .091 hitter. Just like they aren’t paying Cole to give them a 7.20 ERA. Judge has come up several times with runners in scoring position during the Kansas City Series and has failed to deliver. It’s great that other players are stepping up, but the crown jewel of the Yankees order needs to step up if they are going to get to and win the World Series.

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Article originally written by Brian Hight