IT'S THE ALDS THAT NO ONE SAW COMING!

WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED?!

I feel like I woke up in a parallel universe. The American League postseason will be NOTHING like I predicted. Hell, I know others are saying the same thing. My predictions in my NCAA March Madness bracket this year were more accurate than what I thought would happen this year in baseball and I don't follow (or really even care) about college basketball at all.

So seriously.... WHAT HAPPENED?! 

The Kansas City Royals just swept the Baltimore Orioles in the Wild Card round! Oh and then the Detroit Tigers swept the cheating Houston Astros. Two huge thorns in the Yankees side are out fishing! Or maybe golfing! Hell, who cares....all that matters is the Yankees won't see them again until next season. The Royals are Bronx bound and Game 1 of the ALDS is Saturday! I still can't believe it.

This postseason couldn't come together any better. The Yankees had the best record in the league, so they get home-field advantage through the ALCS, if they make it that far. They also don't have to worry about the cheating ASSTROS who have dominated the Yankees in the postseason or the Orioles, who won the division last year and gave the Yankees a run for their money again this season. There are no AL East powerhouses in the Yankees way. The teams that the Yankees didn't have good records against are not standing in their way.

Now the AL Central is standing in the Yankees way. That's not to say this will be easy, because it won't. The Yankees can't be complacent, and they have to play good fundamental baseball and score runs. It sounds easy and it sounds easier because people don't look at the AL Central the same way people do teams that were just eliminated.

But now is not the time to be complacent. The Yankees had a 24-7 record against AL Central teams this season, with a 13-6 record against the AL Central teams in the playoffs now. Statistically, they are in a better position here then against the Astros or Orioles. That doesn't mean it will be easy, though. Yankee offense struggled against Seth Lugo this season and the best start of his season was against the Yankees. There's also Cole Ragans, who is just an incredibly talented lefty and Salvador Perez who is a powerful hitter, and the last link to the 2015 World Series champions so he's no stranger to this stage.

The Yankees can't stroll into this too confidently. The bats need to be alive, and I'm not just talking about Aaron Judge or Juan Soto. The Yankees full lineup needs to show up and come hungry. Our pitching also needs to meet expectations and pitch deep into games. Not just Gerrit Cole! The Yankees CAN win this, but they can't let pitchers they aren't familiar with beat them.

I never would've thought the Yankees and Royals would be meeting in the postseason. It's the first time this is happening in my lifetime. It's the first time since 1980. Anything can happen in the postseason.... just look at which teams are no longer playing. It's time to take care of business!

 

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj