Sure, if the season ended now the Yankees (51-47) would not qualify for the 2021 tournament but the Yanks are only two games behind for the second wild card spot in the loss column. And their best player, Aaron Judge, has been out because of the plague (COVID).
The Yankees have been making a lot of mistakes, including outs on the bases and not driving in runners. Fielding is not good, although fielding is increasingly less important because of fewer balls in play and the positioning of fielders so that the ball is hit near them more often.
The Yankees just completed a four game series in Boston: one game on each of four consecutive days. The Red Sox won 3 of 4. The Yankees lost in excruciating fashion.
Game one:
Yankees CHOKE in Boston: 4 wild pitches in last inning; 3 blown saves. Juxtapose with 1961 series in Boston. Friday, July 23, 2021
Boston took advantage of a record four wild pitches by Brooks Kriske in the 10th to rally past New York 5-4 ...
His four wild pitches are tied for the most in any inning and for the most in a game by any pitcher this season.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | New York Yankees | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
 | Boston Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 0 |
| WP: Matt Barnes (5-2) • LP: Brooks Kriske (1-1) | ||||||||||||||
| Winning Run scored with 2 outs | ||||||||||||||
Note the THREE blown saves (BS)...
Starting pitcher Montgomery also threw a wild pitch, so the Yankees had a total of 5 WP. The Cubs had 7 WP in a 1914 game. Since then there have been 6 WP in a game 8 times, all between 1969-2017. And 34 games with 5 WP, including this Yankee game; 19 of the 34 2000-2021.
________________________
Game two: Red Sox 6, Yankees 2 Yanks ace Gerrit Cole : 3 earned runs in 5 innings.
Game three: Yankees 4, Red Sox 3 Yanks scored all 4 runs in the 8th, then held on for dear life.
Game four:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
| Boston Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | X | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| WP: Brandon Workman (1-2) • LP: Jonathan Loaisiga (7-4) • SV: Matt Barnes (21) | |||||||||||||
Yankee starter Domingo German pitched the game of his life: no-hitter through seven innings. Yanks led 4-0, although they had opportunities to break open the game. German allowed a leadoff double in the 8th and Yankee manager Aaron Boone pulled him. The Red Sox then scored 5 runs on the only 5 hits they had in the game, none a home run: 3 doubles, 2 singles. Those were the only Red Sox hits in the game!
With two outs the Yanks got a base runner to second in the 9th but ... stranded him.
Yankee starters in the four game series in Boston July 22-25, 2021:
But here's the thing. The Yankees starting pitchers, even Cole, pitched well in all four games. They might have been the best four consecutive starts all season. And the Yankees may well have reinforcements on the way: starters Corey Kluber, who pitched a no-hitter earlier this season and won the CY Young award in 2014 and 2017, and Luis Severino, who will be returning from surgery and has not pitched since throwing 12 innings in 2019 (September); 2018: 19-8 in 191 innings, 3.39 ERA; career ERA+ 125. Both should be fresh and rested.
So, how many teams really want to play the Yankees if the Yanks have solid starting pitchers? And if Judge and others are healthy? And if Gleyber Torres is 90% of what he was in 2018 and 2019: OPS+ 122 and 127? Last 14 days: OPS+ 175. Mostly it's about the pitching.
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