“We want Boston!” Echoed throughout Yankee Stadium tonight, as the Bombers took care of business and the Oakland A’s by a score of 7-2.
“If you didn’t hear it, you had to be deaf,” said Didi Gregorius during the celebration in the home clubhouse.
Oh, it was loud in the Bronx. The new place was shaking. Like last year, it was like across the street, where the stadium was an asylum, which made the A’s cower.
And with the over 49,000 fans on their side, the Yankees did it with the familiar formula of power and pretty good pitching, which was their trademark the first half of the season.
“With Cutch leading things off with a — working the walk, getting on base, I talked to you guys a lot about controlling the strike zone. Cutch does that so well. And (Aaron) Judge with a big swing and, bam, all of a sudden it’s 2-0,” said manager Aaron Boone. “And Seve built some steam from there. And even though he wasn’t able to get too deep into the game, he was good for while he was in there.”
Cutch is Andrew McCutchen, who the Yankees acquired to be the table setter and relieve Brett Gardner in the lineup. Having him on the Yankees has made the lineup whole again. The lineup seemed to click tonight with key hits by Judge, Luke Voit and Giancarlo Stanton, who had his first Yankee moment.
It was too much for Bob Melvin’s bullpen team. Instead of using a starter, he used all relievers throughout the game. It wasn’t enough. For some reason, these new-fangled managers try to reinvent the game. Melvin tried it today and it failed.
And the Yankees moved on. Not only because they hit a bunch of relievers, but their crew of pitchers bent but didn’t break. Especially Dellin Betances, who came in when the game was in question and was able to shut the door.
“Dellin is a stud. I wanted him facing — I told him before the game, you may be who I go to in the fourth or the fifth inning potentially,” Boone said. “if it’s a part of lineup that I want you facing in that spot. I just felt like he was the guy and so we got him ready for it and he came in and he was lights out.”
And they will have to continue this momentum if the Yankees plan on beating the Red Sox. It’s hard to believe the two teams haven’t met in the postseason since 2004, but here they are. The Yankees like their chances, even with Boston having the season they had.
“I don’t really go there and get caught up in we’re destined,” Boone said. “I mean, we know who the next opponent was and we know this is a one-game thing. And so you’re confident you can get it done but at the end of the day it’s still a win-or-go-home, one game, anything can happen. So you just prepare as best you can and pour everything into this one and now we’ll obviously so focus on the Red Sox.”
“We have to do our homework,” said outfielder Aaron Judge. “We will celebrate tonight, but tomorrow we will get ready to go.”
Holy war. Destiny. Or even Destiny’s Child. It doesn’t matter. This is the matchup everyone wants and maybe even needs. With now 101 chips on the table, they will try to beat the Red Sox’s 108.
It’s going to be one hell of a ride, especially of the Yankees and if the Stadium is like tonight’s raucous crowd, anything can happen in the next five game.
You wanted Boston. Now you got them.
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