3 Keys to the Yankees Winning the ALCS
Will the Bronx Bombers get back to the World Series?
Tonight the New York Yankees host the Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series. There is so much to be excited about in this series between the Yankees' star power and the Guardians bullpen. For the Yankees to advance and finally get back into the World Series, they need to be better than what they have shown us this postseason. The Guardians might be the Vegas underdogs in this series, but a team with an elite bullpen and a future Hall of Famer (Jose Ramirez, don’t @me) is not a team to underestimate.
Honorable Mention:
The bats need to get going, and I am not just talking about Aaron Judge. Yes, Aaron Judge needs to be Aaron Judge for the Yankees to win but this is a team sport last time I checked. The Yankees have the worst postseason team batting average of all the teams left in the playoffs (.220). That is not good. That being said, they have the highest team On-Base Percentage (.355), which means they are taking pitches and earning walks against opposing pitching.
3) Aaron Boone Needs to Make Good Decisions
Time and time again, we have seen starters left in the game for too long under the Boone regime. The playoffs are all about pitching, and New York cannot afford to let the starters get into trouble by leaving them out there for too long. Aaron Boone has a 17-18 record in the playoffs as the manager of the New York Yankees. This includes being 3-1 in the 2024 playoffs. It's not a great track record, and for the Yankees to advance, he needs to lock it in and make sound adjustments.
2) The Bullpen needs to continue giving Boone confidence
The Yankees have the most Saves (3) secured of the teams left in the playoffs. Clay Holmes has the 2nd most innings thrown on the team this postseason and is pitching to a 0.00 ERA and 0.80 WHIP. For a guy who was struggling, this is a great sign. Not to mention, Luke Weaver, Tommy Kahnle, Tim Hill, and Ian Hamilton have all looked sharp. If the bullpen can continue to have outings like they did against the Royals in the ALDS, then Boone will feel much more comfortable taking the ball out of a starter's hand if showing signs of struggle.
1) Giancarlo Stanton needs to be hitting 4th in the lineup, and Austin Wells needs to remember he can mash
Plain and simple, Stanton has been HOT and he NEEDS to be hitting 4th with the way he has been swinging it. Austin Wells had a .718 OPS through 115 games played during the regular season and is currently putting up a .347 OPS. If Austin Wells can move to the 5th or 6th spot it can take some pressure off of him and hopefully let him relax to produce some positive results.
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