📌 Join the BPCrew Chapter in your city and meet up with more Yankees fans! 👉 CLICK HERE
Series Recap
·5 min read

Series Recap: Yankees capture crown against Halos

·

For the first time in seven years, your New York Yankees are American League Eastern Division champions. The Yankees took two of three games from the Los Angeles Angels to secure a postseason berth, their 19th division crown since 1969 and 55th playoff appearance in franchise history. The pinstripes also hit the century mark with 100 victories for the second consecutive season and the first time since 2002-04. In their past 22 home series, the Bronx Bombers are 19-0-2. No wild card game nonsense this year, if you’re a kid in second grade, the seven-year drought is over!

GAME 1

Luis Severino returned and naturally, Dellin Betances went back on the IL after the game with a partially torn ACL which he injured in Toronto. On the field, it was a good night as the Yankees built a snowman on the Angels with an 8-0 victory.

SEVY SZN SMOOTH

Severino was smooth in his first outing of 2019. The flame-throwing righty tossed 67 pitches in four frames of scoreless ball. He worked out of some battles in the first frame, including a 12-pitch walk to leadoff hitter Brian Goodwin, by inducing Albert Pujols into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double-play.

Embed from Getty Images

Severino fanned four, walked two and allowed two hits. His fastball had good movement and topped out around 98 mph and his slider hovered around the low to mid-’80s. It was a nice boost without incident as the Yankees build up their ace toward the playoffs.

CLUTCH WITH RISP

The Yankees lineup started packing the snow against Noe Ramirez in the second stanza.

Gio Urshela plated Gleyber Torres with a single to left.

Doubling the lead was Cameron Maybin with a two-bagger to left to send home Luke Voit.

Embed from Getty Images

During the fourth frame, the Bronx Bombers really laid it on. Facing Jose Suarez, DJ LeMahieu notched an RBI-single to left on a night where he would register his 59th multi-hit contest.

With the bases loaded, Didi Gregorius kept the line moving by roping a two-run double to right.

Embed from Getty Images

Capping off the onslaught was Torres with a three-run blast to left-center. T-shirts for all!

BULLPEN CLAMPS DOWN

Perhaps making some auditions for the role now vacated by Betances, the Yankee relief corps shut down the Halos. Jonathan Loaisiga looked nasty with some plus velocity, fanning three in two scoreless frames. Stephen Tarpley recorded four K’s in 1.1 scoreless frames. Cory Gearrin recorded a double-play ball. Chance Adams even managed a scoreless frame with a pair of K’s.

GAME 2

The Yankee Stadium crowd gave CC Sabathia a nice sendoff. Giancarlo Stanton was back in the fold, well, at least for six innings. Yet, the Yankees could only scratch out six hits and forgot how to play defense, especially in the sixth inning.

WELCOME BACK G

Stanton batted fifth, went 1-for-3 and nearly threw out a runner at the plate in the third if catcher Kyle Higashioka could’ve held on. During the second inning, Stanton smacked a thunderous double to left-center off Dillon Peters. Not too shabby for not having any minor-league rehab games.

THANK YOU, CC

You could tell the big man was really digging down deep for his final regular-season start at Yankee Stadium. Sabathia struck out the side in the second and the first batter he faced in the third. He appeared to be rolling with one out in the third until a David Fletcher single to right and a walk to Andrelton Simmons. Fletcher squeaked in on an Albert Pujols RBI-single to left. Following a free pass to Kole Calhoun, Kevan Smith plated Simmons with a single to center.

After Goodwin popped out, Sabathia left to thunderous applause and Domingo German would retire Taylor Ward on a force out to second.

JUDGEMENT SZN

Aaron Judge served as the pinstripes power on the evening. Following a LeMahieu walk, Judge clocked a two-run tater to right-center for the equalizer.

OTTAVIN-OH-NO

During the sixth, the Yankees had could only be described as brain farts.

Michael Hermosillo started off the inning with a double to left. Matt Thaiss reached single that deflected off Voit’s glove and was fielded by LeMahieu to save a run for the time being. The ensuing batter Fletcher would reach on a ball ruled a single, which Voit fielded and bluffed home to hold Hermosillo but no one was covering first base when he turned back around. After Simmons flew out to center, some freaky “Angels In The Outfield” stuff happened.

Ottavino fielded a ball hit by Pujols, attempted to throw it home to record the force out but proceeded to airmail the ball for an error, allowing the go-ahead run to score and ultimately decide the game.

Embed from Getty Images

GAME 3

The Yankees shook off the early news of German being placed on administrative leave following an alleged domestic abuse incident. There were a number of tone setters as the Bronx Bombers smashed past the Angels on the way to 100 wins and an AL East title, 9-1. In the process, manager Aaron Boone became the first manager in MLB history to win 100 games in each of his first two seasons managing.

TANAKA THURSDAY

Masahiro Tanaka was locked in and even more motivated as if to say, this rotation is not in peril, get on my damn back and let’s go!

Tanaka twirled seven strong and had his slider and splitter working on the way to six K’s. A Calhoun solo homer to right in the fourth was the lone blemish as Tanaka scattered four hits.

3J LEMAHIEU

Setting the tone at the plate from the lineup was the big bat of LeMahieu in the second stanza.

Following a Maybin walk and a swinging bunt single to third by Austin Romine, LeMahieu crashed a three-run bomb to right off Andrew Heaney. It was home run No. 25 for the second baseman.

POWERBALL TICKETS

The home run barrage continued into the sixth, as Gardner launched home run No. 26 into the right-field stands off Justin Anderson.

Facing Miguel Del Pozo in the eighth, Maybin cranked home run No. 9 to left-center.

Embed from Getty Images

Clint Frazier capped off the offense by popping a two-run tater to left for home run No. 12.

Embed from Getty Images

CLINCH SZN

Following a scoreless frame from Cory Gearrin, Aroldis Chapman did his thing collecting a pair of K’s, including the final out against Pujols during a scoreless ninth to lock down the 19th division crown in franchise history.

ON DECK

At 100-54, the Yankees face the Toronto Blue Jays for a three-game series starting Friday evening.

Pitching probables, Jacob Waguespack vs. J.A. Happ, T.J. Zeuch vs. TBD, Trent Thornton vs. TBD.