Game 1: 9/28/21, 7:10 PM (NY wins 7-2)
Seven in a row! Giancarlo goes deep for the 4th straight game as NY takes game 1 north of the border to extend their wild card lead to 2 games. Jameson Tallion did not last long as he re-aggravated his ankle injury. Hate to see that. He would only last 2.1 innings and he gave up a run in the process. After falling behind 1-0 in the 1st, Judge went the other way for a solo homer to tie the game at 1 a piece. The Jays took the lead again in the 4th making it 2-1, but the Yanks tied it right back up in the 5th on an RBI single by Rizzo scoring Urshela, later in the inning Judge would give New York a 3-2 lead with a sac fly. This felt like it was gonna be a high leverage close game the rest of the way but the Yankee bats had other plans. In the 7th, Giancarlo would come up to bat with 2 on and 1 out, he belted a 1st pitch 3-run homer to eliminate the possibility of a save situation and made it a 6-2 game. Over his last 4 games dating to game 1 of the Boston series, he has a 1.098 OPS and 407 wRC+ which literally means he has been 307% better then league average offensively in that span. His new nickname might just have to be Mr. September if this continues. He’s eliminated all the talk of not being a clutch hitter. With a 6-2 heading to the 9th, Urshela would give NY another insurance run with a solo shot making it 7-2. The bullpen was rock solid. Mike King, Holmes, Green, Severino, and Peralta combined for 6.2 innings and only gave up 1 run. Awesome stuff from the pitching staff. King took the win and Ryu took the loss. Yanks lead the 1st wild card over Boston by 2 games and have a 2.5 game lead over Seattle for the 2nd wild card, Toronto has fallen to 1.5 games out of the 2nd wild card. Ace on the mound tomorrow. Win the series!
Game 2: 9/29/21, 7:10 PM (Toronto wins 6-5)
That’s a rough one! Yanks blow their opportunity to really strengthen their chances with a rough loss. They showed a lot of heart but ultimately fall short. Gerrit Cole simply didn’t do his job. It’s his 3rd straight outing giving up 3 or more runs and his CY Young chances are just about over unless they start him on short rest Sunday against Tampa and he delivers a monster outing. This could happen if the Yanks are in a win and you're in scenario. Credit to him for still managing to take on 6 innings of work but giving up 5 runs is not gonna cut it. Be better. The Yankees entered the 5th inning down 4-0, but were able to cut the deficit in half when Urshela drove in a run on a single and Gardner drove in another on a double making it 4-2 Jays. In the 5th, Vladdy doubled in Springer on who on due to a dropped pop up by Gallo in left field, this definitely hasn’t been the best stretch of games for Gallo fielding wise and he even left the game later on after getting hit by a pitch. In the 6th, Judge drove in another run on a sac fly to bring them within 2 at 5-3. In the 7th, Higashioka collected his biggest hit of his career when he drove in the game tying runs on a 2-run single to tie it at 5. It felt like #Bronxiemagic again but that unfortunately was not the case. Bronxie is new team pet turtle that they recently got, it was Nestor Cortes’ idea because of course it was. He seems like that kind of guy. Loaisiga and Holmes would finish up the last 2 innings, Loaisiga would toss a 1-2-3 frame in his return from the IL. Unfortunately Holmes would give up a dramatic go ahead solo shot to Bichette. Very rare blemish for Holmes as he’s been one of the best relievers in the league since July. Holmes took the loss and Simber got the win for the Jays. Thing one stings and it makes it worse that Boston won so they cut into the Yanks lead that is only at 1 game of the 1st wild card. On top of that, the Yanks have to go against the likely CY young winner Robbie Ray who is exactly who Toronto would want on the mound. Yanks MUST find a way to win.
Game 3: 9/30/21, 7:10 PM (Yanks win 6-2)
WHAT A GINORMOUS WIN! Yanks take down the CY Young favorite behind 5 homers. This win brings the magic number down to 2 for a playoff spot. The wild card race behind the Yanks is intensifying mightily. Kluber probably shouldn’t have pitched through their lineup for a 3rd time but he pitched fairly well. He gave up 2 runs through 4.2 innings. Not terrible, but we definitely want to see a little more length out of him if he pitches against Tampa or in the postseason. Judge put the Yanks on the board fast with a 455 foot bomb dead center to give them a 1-0 lead. After that homer, Ray would retire 13 straight batters to take a 2-1 lead into the 6th. It wasn’t looking great as the Rays were dominating and you knew Toronto was gonna keep him out there as long as he could possibly go in a MUST win for them. Luckily, Yanks clutched up, Rizzo took Ray deep to tie the game at 2 and immediately after Judge went back to back and launched his 2nd homer of the game to give NY a 3-2 lead. Later in the inning again off Ray, Torres launched a 2-run homer of his own and made it a 5-2 Yankee lead and knocked Ray out of the game. Yanks had 5 hits up until this point and they were all homers. Bronx bombers living up to their nickname. Severino, King, Green, and Chapman were dominate out of the bullpen. In the 9th, Gardy added insult to injury and belted a solo shot making it 6-2. King took the win and Ray got the loss. What a win for the Yankees. Keep the foot on the gas with Tampa coming down this weekend.
My thoughts:
What a series win as this was a series NY had to have. They’ve put themselves in a great spot as the magic number is down to 2. So a Yankee win and Red Sox, Seattle, Toronto loss on Friday equals a playoff spot. The bullpen has been rock solid and the clutch hitting has been something I’ve never seen before. Keep winning.
What’s next?
Toronto stays home and welcomes in the Baltimore Orioles for a massive 3 game set this weekend. Toronto looks to keep their season alive and pretty much have to sweep and need help from Boston/Seattle/Yankee losses. The Yanks head back home to take on the division winning Tampa Bay Rays in officially THE BIGGEST SERIES OF THE YEAR. Taking at least 2/3 solidifies a wild card spot AND home field advantage for the Wild Card game. 1 win against Tampa and combinations of Boston/Seattle/Toronto losses could still get them in. Keep winning and clinch tomorrow!
