Don't Cry Because it's Over, Smile Because it Happened!

Have you ever bought tickets to a show/game, and immediately snuck down to a better seat? That feeling of trickery, and pure wonder take over as you enjoy an experience that wasn't meant for you.  Then all of a sudden you get that tap on the back. You've been caught. Back to your original seat you go for the rest of the evening.

That's what it felt like Saturday night when my beloved baby bombers, New York Yankees were eliminated in Game 7 of the ALCS.  This team was not supposed to be here, but yet gave Yankees fans that feeling of hopefulness that it would work out.

This Yankees team, predicted to finish 4th in the division, not only made the playoffs, but were the top Wild Card team, and 3 games from winning the division(still won the head-head against Boston).

After a strong start to the season, which surprised many, things started to come apart at the seams.  Pineda's season ended, Bird was put on the DL multiple times, leaving a hole at first base, their ace Tanaka was showing signs of decline, and their strength(bullpen), was blowing leads at an alarming rate.

Did this Yankees team come back to reality?
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A trade with the White Sox, and later the Oakland A's, would change the course for this team.  The upper management was in it to win it.

They would post a 46-30 record in the 2nd half of the season, with strong finishes by Tanaka, Severino, Bird, and a new realigned bullpen lead by Greene, Robertson, and Chapman.

For the first time since 2015(I know so far away lol), the Yanks were back in the postseason. However, as jubilant as Yankees fans were when the game started,  the atmosphere in the stadium turned to concern as their top pitcher gave up 3 runs in only 1/3 of an inning.

The beauty of a young team, is that they don't know any better.  3-0 quickly turned to 3-3 with a clutch hr by Sir Clutch, Didi Gregorious. The Yankees would end up winning that game thanks to their bullpen and young offense.

The Yankees were in the ALDS for the first time in 5 years.  Again not much expectations.  After the game 2 debacle, in which they would go down 0-2 in the series, this team was written off.

Back to the Bronx they would go and the stadium was alive and kicking. The ghosts finally made their way, and Yankees magic was back. Games 3&4 would go the bombers way, setting up game 5 against Cleveland's ace.

Sir Clutch would come through with 2 home runs off their ace, bullpen locked it down, and the Yankees, the "rebuilding" baby bombers, were now 4 wins away from the World Series.... Yes the World Series.

After only scoring 2 runs in 2 games in Houston, the Yankees were in need of some home cooking. Clutch performances by CC, Tanaka, Frazier, Judge, and Sanchez would give the Yanks a 3-2 series lead after being down 0-2, including a huge win off Houston's ace, whom up to that point, was Yankees Kryptonite.

Back to that tap on the shoulder. The Yankees felt the tap in the form of clutch performances by Verlander, who in game 2 threw 123 pitches, yet still shut them down and Brian McCann, former Yankee(actually traded to Houston), who would come through with clutch hits off Sevy and CC.

Too many times this team had their backs against the wall. This team had nothing left in the tank. They gave all that they had, which was not good enough.... yet

This is a young team that benefited from a great learning experience.  Sanchez will improve his defense. Judge will hopefully get better calls next year, and improve on the curve. Bird will have an entire offseason to heal that ankle(part of which slowed him down). Didi has solidified himself as one of the best SS and makes people not even think of #2. Hicks had a breakout year and is only 28. Red Thunder will see time.  The best player(Gleyber Torres), as per scouts around baseball, is currently rehabbing his elbow and will be on the big league roster sometime next year.

As Joel Sherman said, this is the worst Yankees team we will see in the next 6 years.  This is a young team with a lot of money coming off the books this offseason(CC, Arod, possibly Tanaka), and in 2018(Headley, Gardner, Robertson). 2019 was the goal, but we couldn't wait! (sorry to the rest of MLB)

So Yankees fans, don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened. This is was the most fun I had watching a Yankees team in a very long time.  We have a lot of great years and memories to look forward to. Use this time to look forward to the future, look back at the fun ride we had, and see you in 117 days when pitches and catchers report!

Redemption=Rejuvenation

"My season is not over. I plan to do everything in my power to return and help our team win in 2017."

These are the words from Yankees first basemen Greg Bird. He declared he would come back to the field after team doctors wrote him off in July. Not only did he come back from his ankle injury(one that succumbed him to 48 games), but came back in superhero fashion. Bird would finish the season, the way his spring training went, on fire. He finished the season with 8 hrs, 25 rbi's in only 29 games, compared to 1 hr, 3 rbi's in his first 19 games. He would continue his hot streak into the postseason, with a clutch rbi in the Wildcard game, and the home run that brought the crowd to its feet to break a 0-0 tie accounting for the only run of the ballgame.

“It was difficult. My team needed me very bad and I didn’t do my job, I just didn’t command my pitches. I don’t want to be in that situation and lose that game like that. And right now I (will) get the chance to pitch again," Luis Severino somberly told reporters after his Wildcard game performance, which was one for the record books, 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 HR, 81.0 ERA.

Sevy needed(yes the magic word) Redemption! Game 4, Sevy took the mound and pounded Indians batters like the ace he was all year long. 7 innings, 4 hits, 3 er, and 9 strike outs. In another elimination game, he was the ace the Yanks expected in that wildcard game. The offense once again would provide the run support as they would go on to win 7-3.

Finally, to game 5. Would Girardi mismanage this game? Would the bullpen bounce back from that game 2 debacle? If you have been living on the rock the answer to those questions could be answered by the Daniel Bryan catchphrase "Yes, Yes, Yes!"

Didi, aka Sir Clutch(Checkout Bronx Pinstripes for Sir Clutch Tee shop.bronxpinstripes.com), would come through in a final elimination game with not 1, but 2 home runs off Cy Young worthy pitcher Corey Kluber, who on this night, would not redeem his game 2 performance.

CC Sabathia would pitch a brilliant 4 innings, before batters found some holes, and were quickly 1 run behind. Enter D-Rob.

In game 2, he would give up a game tying hr to Jay Bruce, and the Yankees would eventually lose that game. In this appearance, he walked into a very tough situation; two on, 1 out. D-Rob, in houdini fashion, would get the double play ball, turned brilliantly by Sir Didi.

He would pitch another 2 innings of shutout ball, and would pass the baton onto the Cuban Missle, Chapman.

Last time he was asked to pitched 2 innings of relief in this ballpark, he would get the W in game 7 of the World Series. For this night, he would need to get the save, in order to advance one step closer to said World Series.

After pitching a 1-2-3 8th inning, with the score 3-2, I wanted to text my friend and say "Hey they need some separation", but then again I didn't wanna jinx anything. The Yanks, in comeback kid fashion, would get such separation thanks to clutch at bats by Hicks, Frazier, and the rbi man, Bret the hit man Gardner.

The Yanks got their separation off one of the best closers in baseball, however, it did come at a price. As noted by John Smoltz, Chapman was sitting on the bench for 30 minutes. Closers run on adrenaline, running from the bullpen, doing their thing, and call it a night.

First batter, walks. Now I am going stir crazy. Encarnacion is up. Even with an ankle injury, this guy could have taken Chapman out of the park, with Chaps velocity, and lack of command in the 9th. He would eventually strikeout. Santana, another hr threat, down on strikes. Austin Jackson, former highly touted Yankee prospect was the Indians final hope.  Could he redeem himself from that costly error in the 9th that put Hicks on at 2nd? If he was a Yankee, we know what the answer would be. Jackson would strikeout looking, giving the Yankees their redemption.

Joe Girardi, who was blasted by fans( I will admit, I was one of them) and the media for his game 2 decisions, redeemed himself with all the right moves in this game. He will no longer have to answer to all the criticism because his players picked him up; as noted by Frazier and CC in their post game conferences.

The Yankees will take the field tonight at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Masahiro Tanaka will square off against Dallas Keuchel. Once again, the word redemption will come up. Will Judge redeem himself from his record setting 16ks in the Division series, proving he's worthy of the MVP and not Altuve? Will the Yankees redeem themselves from 2015's Wildcard game(my first live postseason game) in which DK shutout the Yankees, while Tanaka took the loss?

I think Greg Bird's quote at the end of game 3 says it best, "We are not done playing yet". This team, along with its fan base, is rejuvenated, and will bring that comeback spirit into this series.

Wildcard Night in the Bronx

If Major League Baseball wanted their one game, do or die playoff format to catch the eye of the beholder, they were certainly satisfied with the results of the AL matchup between the New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins.

I, a lifelong Yankees fan, bought a ticket for what I thought would be an exciting night of baseball between two teams clinging for their playoff lives. The Yankees were supposed to be in the process of a rebuild, building from their potent young farm system. The Twins who lost 100+ games the year before, were not even considered to finish top 3 in their division! The Yankees young homegrown studs Judge, Sanchez, and Severino exceeded expectations for this year, pushing the Yanks to a hot start. Trades at the deadline bringing in Gray, Frazier, and the return of the team's bullpen MVP down the stretch Robertson(remember Clippard anyone?) helped the Yanks get over the hump and push them back into the postseason.  October baseball was finally back in the Bronx with the Yanks selecting their young ace Luis Severino to start the game against Minnesota ace Ervin Santana.

As the name suggests, this game was a wild one!  The fans were loud hours before the game started.  Roll Call, which Yankees fans do every game in the top of the 1st, could have been heard all the way across the GW back in Jersey! Severino and Santana, both the aces of their teams, were not respective selves.  Perhaps it was the wildness of the situation; October baseball, do or die, 48,000+ screaming fans might have rattled the more often refined starting pitchers.

Severino was the first one to get a chance to show his ace abilities.  Unfortunately for him,  he only lasted 1/3 of an inning.... yes that's right 1/3 of an inning.  He only recorded 1 out after giving up a lead off home run, a 2r hr, and left 2 men on base.  After that 2r hr, the stadium was deathly silent.  You could hear a pin drop.  The faces of the fans looked as if they had just seen a someone get murdered.  Would my beloved Yanks playoff dreams be too?

Well it aint easy being Green, Chad Green.  1 out, runners on 2nd and 3rd.  An antsy New York crowd clinging on your every pitch. Heck they even booed Sevy off the mound! In true Chad Green fashion, like he's proven all year, he came through; Mariano 1996 esque.  The crowd was back, but would the Yanks?

Bret "the hit man" Gardner worked a lead off walk, Judge got a clutch 3-2 single. Sanchez would get out, and now it was Didi.  To me, the most underrated Yankee/baseball player in the game right now.  Put his stats against anyone and I dare you to tell me how Didi isn't an all star, gold glove, clutch player.  Didi would send the Bronx faithful that night into euphoria! I literally felt the ground shake, and my ears rattling, as the Yankee fans showered Didi in glorious fashion!


There was no way we were losing this game! Gardner would later get thrown at high and tight in his next at bat.  I told my friend next to me, he better hit that (insert expletive here) right out of the ballpark.  Low and behold, 2nd deck to right field, and a nice stare down at Santana. The Twins would tie it, but the crowd wasn't backing off.  Sanchez would come through with a leadoff double, followed by a true warrior, Greg Bird, driving him in(I wonder if that Yankees exec thinks Bird wants to play or not). Yankees were now leading 5-4.   Separation was still needed. The crowd knew it. The Yankees knew it.  We all had good Judgement on that.

Rookie of the year/MVP Candidate Aaron Judge would connect with a 2r hr in the bottom of the 4th, making it 7-4 and it would be smooth sailing from there on in.  The bullpen recorded an MLB record 8 and 2/3 innings pitched, including only allowing 1 run in that stretch with a lights out performance by Chapman to close it out just past midnight on Wednesday October 4!

If sports are about momentum, Yankee fans will look back at the top of the 1st inning.  If Chad Green doesn't strike out the remaining 2 batters, it could've been 4, possibly 5-0.  Would the Yankees have scored 8 runs? Would the crowd have been energized for the bottom half? One can only wonder about all of those wild possibilities.

Baseball can be a great escape, as the stresses of life can bare on us. Both my friend (who I consider a second Dad) and I forgot about the real world, and were kids living vicariously through the players. I had the time of my life on Tuesday night, so much so, I believe I still have adrenaline running through my body as I type this. This night will be a night that I hopefully will tell my kids about, while they are sitting next to me watching the future Yankees!

                                                    Myself on the left, Carl on the right. 

:Side Notes:
Try the Black Bean Burger from Bareburger(Bareburger> Shake Shack)

August 13, 2016 witnessed Judge's first game/hr
October 3, 2017 witnessed Judge's first postseason game/hr