If you are a pessimist, please don't read this blog anymore. I think Derek Jeter said it best Saturday afternoon ahead of the Cleveland - Detroit game: The postseason is a completely different feeling. And it is. There are nine innings for a reason; winning postseason baseball comes down to one thing: endurance. Can you wait out the good pitcher to get to the less impact pitchers? Can you wear out the other team with hit after hit? Can you out game them? And so, I say to you, those who are pessimistic and continue to ask why this and why that: "You need to calm down!"
Gleyber Torres definitely had a topsy turvy season. Up and down both defensively and offensively, but his manager stuck with him. Good or bad or indifferent, Aaron Boone backs up his players. I don't always agree but he is consistent in that matter. Torres deserves to be in the leadoff spot and he proved it by launching one out to right to give the Yankees a very short lead in the Saturday bout against the Kansas City Royals. So, naysayers beware, Torres could be a difference maker when things get tough down the pike.
Alex Verdugo stresses me out. And then all of the banter around why Verdugo over Jasson Dominguez is just distracting. But his lefthanded defense is far superior than Dominguez who is still learning and evolving. "I just felt like this was the way to go for Game 1," Boone said. "Obviously Alex has been tremendous for us defensively. Even though it's been up and down for him in the second half offensively, I still feel like there's a really good hitter in there who can provide something for us as the bottom (of the lineup)," reported Sports Illustrated. Defense is clearly important but if the Yankees don't string up enough hits, it won't matter.
Next up, is Gerrit Cole. I would call him Mr. Inconsistent this season. He gets hot as quickly as he goes cold. And that has not given the Yankees the kind of momentum that the Mets seem to have to outlast their opponents to this point. But the Yankees stay with him; not like they have any choice, but it is more than that. They get behind him, and believe in him, despite what his numbers say. That kind of mindset keeps the clubhouse calm and that is what is needed to ensure there are no distractions, just focus. Calming down means you clear the mechanism and do what you are supposed to do. For runners like me, it means just running- clearing your mind of negativity or doubt, but rather just putting one foot in front of the other.
The Yankees actually have the biggest distraction in front of them: ending the World Series drought in the most pressure-field market in baseball. I am sure that is front of center of their captain's mind. Aaron Judge not only has the pressure of leading his team from the role of captain but he has to perform, something he has not been successful with in the postseason with more strikeouts than hits. But again, there is no need to get concerned or rant and rave about what was in the past. If the Yankees are going to win, they just will have to dismiss the negativity, the demons in their past and all the critics. If the Yankees are going to do this, they have to go into this with the right mantra: calm, focused and determined.
It is the team, collectively that has to come together and make their dreams a reality. No manager, fan or single player can do it. And it does not matter that the Orioles nor the Astros are here to face the Yankees in this 2024 postseason. It is not smooth sailing; the same formula exists, no matter who is facing the Yankees. This is the best of five games, not one and done. So stay calm, remain positive and root for your team to outlast the Royals: one inning, one game at a time.
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--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof
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