We all know the names that coincide with Yankee postseason excellence: Mantle, DiMaggio and Jeter among others. There is no better way to endear yourself to a New York fan base then excelling in the biggest of spots. Scores of regular season studs have entered the postseason only to walk away as a mere pedestrian. Others have left the stage as legends. Who on this team needs to turn up the temperature when it matters most?Begin Slideshow
The postseason has just begun for the New York Yankees, but it is never too early to look ahead to the offseason. Although they are in a great position to win the World Series, the impending offseason will not be without issues. Many of these issues involve the treatment of New York’s best players. How much will a few top hitters make moving forward? Who should be playing where? What will the Yankees decide to do with their crowded bullpen? Here are four issues the Bronx Bombers will need to ...
The New York Yankees have obstacles aplenty on their path to the World Series: an aging lineup with precious little foot speed, a rickety infield defense that lacks range up the middle and a plucky ALDS opponent in the Baltimore Orioles—just to name a few.Not among the litany of potential pitfalls so far? Pitching.Even after a bitter 3-2 loss in Game 2, the Bombers should feel bullish about a starting rotation that once looked liked an impending Achilles heel.C.C. Sabathia's dominant Game 1 outing played a hand in that impression, but ...
Alex Rodriguez should be a ghost for Halloween. With the exception of the 2009 postseason, the New York Yankees third baseman has made a career out of disappearing in October. In 2009, A-Rod had his best postseason, as he helped the Yankees win the World Series. That postseason, he batted .365 with a .500 OBP and six home runs. Outside of that outlier, his postseason career with the Yankees has been lackluster, pathetic and just plain sloppy. He has 52 hits and 52 strikeouts in 204 at-bats. So far this ...
It's already beginning to become the usual kind of October for Alex Rodriguez.Not the one that carried the team on his shoulders and helped the Bombers win the World Series in 2009.Nope, instead we are seeing the King of un-clutch ABs again through the first two games of the ALDS against the Baltimore Orioles.In Game 1, despite winning 7-2, A-Rod was a non-factor in the game, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.Because the Yankees got big hits from Russell Martin, Ichiro Suzuki and Robinson Cano, A-Rod's failure in big spots weren't ...
The New York Yankees return to the Bronx tied with the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Division Series. The Yankees left a small platoon of men stranded on base in Game 2 Monday night, resulting in a 3-2 loss at Camden Yards. It’s not hard to figure out the problem in a one-run loss when a team leaves 10 men on base. With the 7-2 win on Sunday night, however, the Yankees did what they set out to do, which was to win at least one of the opening ...
Monday's Game 2 affair between the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles was intriguing as ALDS games come.For Baltimore and its fans, the message was clear: win or face near certain death at Yankee Stadium.A momentary sigh of relief for the orange and black. The birds beat the Yanks 3-2, as rookie Wei-Yin Chen out-dueled playoff-seasoned left-hander Andy Pettitte.Here are the seven biggest moments in this hotly-contested game.Begin Slideshow
At the end of his sixth major league season, the Yankees are nearing a crossroads with right-handed starter Phil Hughes. The once top prospect in their organization is now somewhat of an enigma, a mix of potent talent and frustrating inconsistency.With the 26-year-old hurler just a year away from free agency, GM Brian Cashman and the New York front office must decide whether to commit to Hughes long term or to begin searching elsewhere for their future pitching needs. The Yankees have three basic options on how to proceed with Hughes, ...
Besides the fact that he's pitched 12 seasons in the major leagues and has nearly 200 wins to show for the effort, CC Sabathia has built his reputation as an ace by being durable. Sabathia has averaged nearly 35 starts per season during his MLB career. But during the postseason, his left arm has seemed bionic when asked to start a game on three days' rest rather than the customary four that a starting pitcher receives between appearances. Short rest was no problem for Sabathia during the 2008 season with the Milwaukee ...
The 2009 season was Alex Rodriguez's very own Rubber Soul. It wasn't his best season by any stretch of the imagination, but the 2009 campaign ultimately saw the New York Yankees star third baseman prove he could do something many people didn't think he could do.At long last, A-Rod was clutch in the postseason. He posted a 1.308 OPS while hitting six home runs and driving in 18 runs, and it seemed like every hit he came up with was a big one. And in the end, A-Rod won his first World ...