Done! The Yankees secured the WC home field advantage last night in the opener at Fenway. Whew. I was worried about them having to fly out to Oakland, but now they’ll play the winner-take-all contest on Wednesday night at 8pm ET in the comfy confines of the Stadium with its even comfier short porch in right field.
What’s more, they hit enough homers last night – including Judge’s first after his too-long stint on the DL – to set a record for homers in a single season. Hoorah. Hitting them against the Red Sox last night only made the Janer – yes, they scored 11 runs – that much sweeter.
But now the nerves set in. Wednesday night will be a pressure cooker. Who will pitch? I vote for Happ to start. Severino is my second choice and Tanaka is third. I think Happ has been the most consistent of the three, last night’s grand slam to Pearce notwithstanding. I just hope the relievers will bring their A game.
I’m not happy that Sanchez and his tendency to allow passed balls will be catching, but I guess if he brings a hot bat it’ll be OK. Didi seemed to manage his wrist brace well enough last night, but between now and Wednesday everybody needs to stay healthy. Boone will rest the starting players and use subs this weekend, which will help. But personally, if somebody’s hot I think he should keep playing to maintain the momentum and not get rusty.
So, another season, another postseason. I just hope it lasts more than one game :)