FOUR THINGS THE YANKEES NEED TO DO TO ADVANCE

Welcome to that article that is always the most obvious, but you read it anyway. These are the 4 things that are concerning and are needed for the Yankees to advance to the ALCS.

Clarke Schmidt needs to be on

Clarke Schmidt is ready to shine Wednesday in Game 3 of the ALDS, with the Yankees and Royals all tied up after splitting in The Bronx. Schmidt’s been a beast this season, mixing in a nasty cutter, a wicked sweeper, a deadly sinker, and a knucklecurve that has hitters swinging at air. After missing three months with a lat strain, he came back better than ever, posting a solid 2.85 ERA over 16 starts. Schmidt has said he had been grinding through rehab with this exact moment in mind. Now, it’s October, playoff baseball is here, and Clarke is fired up for his chance to dominate. Let's home Schmidt can deliver!

Aaron Judge needs to break out

The other night when we needed him, Judge stepped up and struck out on just four pitches, leaving the crowd feeling deflated after Torres and Soto reached. This unfortunate outcome added to Judge's alarming postseason strikeout rate of 34.3%, the highest in MLB history among hitters with at least 200 plate appearances.

Despite this, Judge did manage to finish the night with a walk and an infield single, ending up 1-for-3. However, he now sits at just 1-for-7 in this postseason, raising concerns among us fans.  Judge has said, "If I'm not hitting 1.000, I'm not feeling good," and that concerns me a bit.

But if the Yankees look to advance, they need Judge desperately. Fans are really hoping he finds his rhythm soon. Maybe tonight.

Volpe needs to do his job

After another rollercoaster regular season, Anthony Volpe is finally starting to show some promise at the plate in the first two games against Kansas City. Sure, he made a costly throwing error in Game 1 that led to a couple of runs—pretty frustrating, honestly—but he’s otherwise held it down at shortstop. At the plate, Volpe has made some solid contact, like that 100-mph shot to the warning track and another well-hit ball to right in Game 1. He did work a bases-loaded walk and followed it with a hard-hit single to left on Monday, along with another walk and a rocket to shortstop.

Volpe’s been hitting the ball with some serious pop, cranking three balls over 100 mph in the series, including two over 105 mph on Monday. But while the Yankees are excited about his potential, it’s hard not to feel a little impatient—this kid has talent, but those long slumps? They’re starting to wear thin. Some scouts may question if Volpe will ever fully live up to the hype, but the Yankees are holding out hope that he’ll break through. What he does in the rest of this series might finally start to clear things up.

Continue to keep Bobby Witt Jr. quiet

It might not last forever, but it’s sure sweet while it’s happening! The Yankees have put Bobby Witt Jr. on ice. Heading into Wednesday’s Game 3 at Kauffman Stadium, the rising star shortstop is 0-for-10 with four strikeouts, and the Yankees’ pitchers are in total control. They’ve kept Witt from finding anything to hit, and even when they’ve slipped up, they've dodged the bullet. This is especially satisfying since Witt normally gives the Yankees trouble, boasting an .864 OPS in 17 career games against them and an .887 OPS this season. But right now? The Yankees have him locked down—and they're loving every second!

The New York Post had a scout quoted as saying: “The Yankees have been a lot more disciplined in how they deal with Witt, but they’ve gotten away with a couple of mistakes and that won’t last forever.’’

Next game's tonight. Let's go Yanks!