WILL THE YANKEES PLAY 'OCTOBER BASEBALL' LIKE THE BOSS WOULD WANT?

 
Source: Sporting News

I love October Baseball. It is like an extension of summer plus more baseball to love. The Yankees have not been great at October baseball more recently, but I think they have a hankering to change that with additions of Juan Soto, Jazz Chisholm, Jr. and Jasson Dominguez to the lineup. So the question is will the Yankees play October baseball like they were built to and the way the Boss would want?

"Though they fell to the Pirates, 4-2, on Friday night in The Bronx, Jazz Chisholm Jr. announced the team’s lofty expectations once they get to October. “This was their goal all season, to get to the World Series, not just the playoffs,’’ Chisholm said. “This is only one stop and I feel in everybody’s heart in this clubhouse, we don’t think our stop is now. We’re not stopping ’til we get that ring,” reported The New York Post. Boss George Steinbrenner would like that optimism, but what he wouldn't like is the Yankees' inconsistencies over this up and down season. And over the last several years, since probably 2017, the Yankees' October has not added up to anything. But this time, they are the arguably the best team in the AL, so maybe that is enough swag to make the difference?

                                                                         Source: MLB.com

“It’s gonna be really fun to start here in The Bronx,” Carlos Rodon said of the postseason. “It’s gonna be electric. …We’re going to the postseason. That’s way different than last year,” reported The Post. Rodon is having a turnaround season after a lackluster one in 2023 with 16-9 record (tied for 3rd), an ERA of 3.96 (40th) and 195 strikeouts (tied for 13th). Rodon will likely be the second starter in the rotation, which I hope is only a three-man rotation. If I was picking it would be Gerrit Cole, Rodon and Luis Gil and leave it at that. 

Source: Sports Illustrated

Besides the starting pitching rotation, there are the fielding and offensive considerations, with Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton all holding hot bats over the 10 or so games. Jasson Dominguez has gotten the start in left field over the last 13 out of 17 games since rejoining the team, and it looks like he will be the early starter with defensive relief from Alex Verdugo in the later innings. 

As The Post hints, "With Jazz Chisholm Jr. at third base, Anthony Rizzo at first and Jon Berti and Oswaldo Cabrera ready to come off the bench, it may be tough to find a path onto a postseason roster for DJ LeMahieu. Boone said Berti, who missed much of the season with a calf injury, likely would play Saturday and Sunday as he prepares for a playoff role. If the Yankees go with just three starters in the ALDS, it would open up another spot for a position player." With Rizzo questionable after being hit on the hands and suffering a finger fracture in Saturday's loss to the Pirates, there will likely be a pivot by the team. 

Source: AP

So is all of this enough to ensure that the Yankees are October-ready? It is really in their hands. If it was up to Judge, Chisholm, Jr. and Soto, they are all in. I'd like to be all in too, but it is just too early to tell. As the Yankees head into 162, I have a lot of optimism for what's ahead despite these ridiculous losses to the Pirates at home. And it is these kinds of losses that have hurt the Yankees all season. Let's hope they are just readying themselves or "tuning themselves" as Michael Kay suggested, for what's ahead and not that they are putting the cart before the horse. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof