Please Don’t Yank My Chain

Yankees close game 4 but do we honestly think that’s some big moment for celebration? A few sobering points to keep us in focus.

Image credit: Chanan Greenblatt on Unsplash

I know you’re wondering. Did my last article, I’m Seriously Ashamed to Be a Yankees Fan Right Now, which I posted to the New York Yankees Public Relations X account, actually help the Yankees win game 4 of the World Series? Unfortunately we can never prove it but it probably did.

However, this is no time to celebrate and I’ve got to just lay out the sober reality before we all get too inflated over one win. So here goes:

1. It’s one win. I honestly think we need to remind ourselves that no team has ever come back from a 3–0 deficit in the World Series. Only 4 teams ever pushed to a game 6 and only 2 ever made it to game 7. The odds and the gods have forbidden it.
2. The Yankees need to pull off a 4 game winning streak, closing it out in Dodger territory. The Yankees have pulled off 4+ consecutive wins in 2024 in 8 separate winning streaks. Their longest was in May with 7 consecutive wins, so technically it’s in their record to do this. However, the Dodgers have only had two losing streaks of 4+ games in a row in 2024. Coincidentally, their longest was 5 games back in May as well. However, they haven’t lost 4 games in a row since before the All Star game so I can’t imagine that they would do it again with all on the line.
3. I was really worried that the Yankees would win by some fluke and game 4 really felt that way for the majority of the game. The grand slam doesn’t mean a lot to me. I’m looking for a team that is stringing things together with consistency, not hoping for miracles. The Dodgers pitching gave back just about every walk the Yankees had given them in the first 3 games. Even so, the Yankees are chronically stranding men on base, so not really capitalizing on those opportunities. The only exception was a late rally — which is great but I need to be seeing that energy every inning to have hope.
4. The Dodgers have used a lot of pitching and shown their guys multiple times now so I’d generally think that’s in the Yankee’s favor but one game isn’t going to convince me that they’ve dialed in their offense. They basically used only their bullpen in game 3 so they do have fresh starters (“high leverage” — whatever that bullshit lingo is). That’s pretty scary since, even with Dodger pitching struggling in game 4, Yankees really only had 1 solid inning of offense late in the game.
5. Judge seems to have settled down a bit with some ground balls and line drives instead of home run whiffs (I swear they read my article here!) but he wasn’t quite fixed up yet. Hopefully he’s going to be even better in game 5. He’s still not really going opposite field, and when we finally see him do that then we’ll know he’s made the adjustment. Even with his deep RBI line drive, it was basically served up to him fat and inside — the only pitch you can hit when you’re in the bucket.
6. I’m sketched out by shoddy base running. We had the terrible running calls from game 3 that cost a rally. We also had a missed opportunity to advance, maybe score on a deep fly ball to center in game 4. There was also the ballsy but technically bad choice to go for two in game 4 on a drive to left field. Yes that did get the big rally going but only because of a dropped ball on the tag. It was otherwise a clean throwout and we got lucky lucky lucky there.
7. Is Yankee pitching going to be up to it? I don’t feel like it. I’m sorry but they still struggle with placing the ball. I like how Weever was pitching in game 4, but he’s basically the only Yankee pitcher I’m seeing who can hit his spots, throws low, and isn’t serving up meaty flat fat fastballs for dinner. Unlike Cole, who I have no confidence in for the upcoming game.
8. Also, and not that minor but what’s with not completing the double-plays? These are pivotal chances, and the Dodgers are having no trouble at it for their part.

Look I don’t want to be a Debby-Downer but you have to be a bit realistic. Am I going to come out and dance like an Irishman just because we won a game? Uh, no. I kind of expect better than that. I want to see some wins because we outplayed our opponents, not because they took a rest on their arms. Game 5 is going to be a tough mother, and still it’s the lowest hurdle the Yankees have left to face. They still don’t seem like the team that is up for it to me.

P.S. Huge shoutout to Freeman for his new world record! Can’t deny that one off an outside pitch too.

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