RAYS 2 - YANKEES 1
For the New York Yankees, the 2020 American League Division Series will go down as a blown opportunity. First it was Aaron Boone's decision to remove Deivi Garcia after one inning of Game 2, then it was a number of strange decisions by the Yankee skipper in Game 5 that played a role in his team's dismissal from the playoffs.
The Rays certainly deserve a lot of credit. They were the best team in the American League for a reason, and even when the Yankees came back to tie this series to force a decisive Game 5, they withstood the challenge. They didn't let the prospects of facing Gerrit Cole beat them down.
And as far as first baseman Mike Brosseau? What's left to say? Brosseau had the at bat that defined this Division Series. The second year player put together a masterful at bat against Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman in the bottom of the eighth inning, working a 10-pitch at-bat that culminated in a solo home run to left that gave the Rays the definitive 2-1 lead.
In many respects it was a revenge at bat for Brosseau, who earlier this year was the victim of head-hunting by Chapman which nearly led to a bench clearing brawl.
The at bat just to get to the home run in Game 5 was legendary in of itself. After missing badly on the first two pitches, Brosseau worked the count full, including fouling off four Chapman pitches to stay alive. Once he got the pitch he wanted, Brosseau pointed at the Rays dugout and exploded in excitement as he rounded first.
Of course this was a blown opportunity for New York in so many ways. First, Cole got into and out of trouble in the bottom of the first inning when got out of a bases loaded jam by striking out Joey Wendle. He was in cruise control after that until Andrew Meadows tied the game at one on a solo shot of his own in the bottom of the fifth.
It was after that homer that the managerial decisions by Aaron Boone got wackier by the minute.
First Boone pulled Cole from the game in the sixth inning, and decided to shorten the game with Zach Britton and Aroldis Chapman way earlier than he normally should have. The decision to bring Chapman into the ball game while it was still tied in the seventh inning was truly a head scratcher. Champman never pitches well in tied games, and asking him to get seven outs made no sense.
You would think Boone would have learned something after last season's debacle in Houston. Apparently not. The decision came back to haunt him.
Not only that, but Boone also pinch hit Mike Ford in the place of Kyle Higashioka, who was swinging a hot bat. Ford promptly struck out in his lone at bat in the top of the eighth. To make things even uglier for the Yankees manager, it meant that he would have to rely on Gary Sanhcez behind the plate for the rest of the game -- the same catcher who was benched because he isn't as good defensively as Highasioka.
Yup it was a bad night for the manager and a really bad night for the Yankees.
As for the Rays, their manager Kevin Cash hit all the right buttons. It seemed a bit crude to take out starter Tyler Gaslnow early, but it worked out as Nick Anderson and Pete Fairbanks did a tremendous job out of the pen. While Anderson did give up a home run to Aaron Judge, he kept the Yanks at bay after that.
Their efforts set things up for Diego Castillo, who was tremendous in two innings of relief, striking out four and giving up only a walk and no hits.
The Rays earned it. The Yankees? They earned a trip to the off-season.
Tampa Bay will square off with Houston on Sunday in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series.
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