CLEVELAND – No one on the New York Yankees roster has been a part of more postseason games than veteran Matt Holliday. In the decisive game five against the Cleveland Indians, manager Joe Girardi is faced with yet another tough, but critical decision. Holliday has not seen any action yet this postseason, but he is most deserving of the start against Corey Kluber tonight.

To put it simply, Jacoby Ellsbury and Chase Headley have been beyond horrible in the playoffs. The duo has combined to hit 0-for-18 thus far and a change has to be made at designated hitter. In Holliday’s postseason career, he is slashing .247/.305/.731 with 13 HR and 37 RBI. Over the years, he has come up clutch numerous times for his respective teams.

2007 Wild Card Tiebreaker vs. San Diego Padres:

Holliday drove in the game-tying run, as well as scored the game-winning run to send the Colorado Rockies to the NLDS. He hit 15-for-51 that postseason and led the Rockies to the World Series.

2007 World Series vs. Boston Red Sox:

After trailing 6-2 in the sixth inning, Holliday clubbed a three run home run to bring his team within a run.

2013 World Series vs. Boston Red Sox:

Jon Lester was dominating the Cardinals through four innings, until Holliday’s solo HR tied the game at 1-1.

2014 NLDS vs. Los Angeles Dodgers:

Holliday added insult to injury after putting the Cardinals ahead with a three run blast to left field.

Ultimately, Holliday is a player that won’t be fazed by the moment. He has come up clutch for the Yankees numerous times this season and the expectation should be no less for him if he plays in game five.

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CLEVELAND – It’s the bottom of the sixth inning, the New York Yankees have a comfortable lead over the Cleveland Indians, 8-3. Unpredictably, probable Cy-Young winner Corey Kluber was shelled for six earned runs and the Yankees were sitting pretty, poised to tie the American League Division Series at one game apiece.

Lonnie Chisenhall stepped into the batters box against Yankees’ reliever Chad Green with runners on second and third base, two outs. Green immediately put Chisenhall behind in the count, firing two strikes, but the lefty hitter was able to foul off a few pitches to stay alive in the at-bat.

On the seventh pitch of the at-bat, Green threw a 96 MPH fastball inside on Chisenhall, which home plate umpire Dan Iassogna determined hit the batter. Yankees’ manager Joe Girardi had the opportunity to challenge the call, but ultimately failed to do so. After further review, it was clear that the ball did not hit Chisenhall, it hit the knob of the bat.

With the pinch-hitter Chisenhall advancing to first base, Francisco Lindor made his way to home plate. The Indians’ star shortstop mashed a grand slam to bring his team within a run, and suddenly, it was a ballgame again.

Frankie Lindor!!!!! After Girardi didn’t challenge the hbp. pic.twitter.com/C5nethJJcP

— Holden Kushner (@Holdenradio) October 6, 2017

The Indians went on to win this game in extra innings, 9-8, and instead of the Yankees heading back to New York tied at one they face elimination. This clearly raises a question for the MLB as to whether or not they need to review more plays like this, regardless of a challenge.

The NFL implemented a rule to review all scoring plays in 2011 and this particular situation is one that, perhaps, could have been avoided had this rule been in effect. Obviously no run scored on the hit-by-pitch, but that at-bat ultimately determined the game. Instead of the Indians heading back to the dugout down 8-3 at the end of six innings, they hit a grand slam and ended up trailing just 8-7 because Chisenhall was allowed to reach first base.

Joe Girardi’s FULL POSTGAME comments after the @Yankees fall to the Indians in 13 innings. #ALDS pic.twitter.com/bkjK8IlxOD

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) October 7, 2017

Girardi said postgame, “There was nothing that told us he was not hit by the pitch… by the time we got the super slow-mo we were a minute into the challenge, probably beyond a minute.” It is evident that this replay system has its flaws, therefore, anytime it is debatable whether a batter was struck by a pitch or not, it needs to be reviewed.

The Yankees will try and claw their way back out of a 2-0 deficit when they take on the Indians Sunday night in New York.

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NEW YORK – Luis Severino could not have pitched worse in his first postseason appearance for the New York Yankees. The proverbial ace of the staff yielded three runs to the Minnesota Twins in just a third of an inning, while also surrendering four hits and a walk. Yankees’ manager Joe Girardi had seen enough; he motioned to the bullpen for Chad Green and that is when history happened for the Bronx Bombers.

Green inherited runners on second and third base with only one out. Byron Buxton stepped to the plate with a chance to do some serious damage, but Green kept the surging center fielder off balance with a steady-diet of sliders. He eventually punched Buxton out on a 97 MPH fastball. Following Buxton’s at-bat, Green was able to set down Jason Castro and effectively get out of the inning unscathed.

The Yankees responded with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the first inning after Didi Gregorius blasted a three-run home run to right field. Green was effective up until the third inning where fatigue started to set in. The Yankees’ secret weapon walked two batters and allowed a single to load the bases.

Houdini is the term used to describe David Robertson, a Yankees’ relief pitcher who generally throws late in games. But Tuesday night was not any ordinary game. This was a do-or-die scenario and Girardi had no choice but to go with the reliever he trusted the most to get out of a bases loaded jam. Robertson nearly got Buxton to ground into a double play to end the inning, but the speedy center fielder beat out the throw, tying the score at four apiece. With runners on second and third, he was able to get Castro to strikeout to end the inning on a breaking ball down in the dirt.

Robertson was arguably the most effective and important reliever of the night for the Yankees. He pitched a career high 3.1 innings in relief, struck out five, and allowed just three hits in his dominant performance.

And once the Yankees grabbed hold of the lead from a Greg Bird single, they did not relinquish it. Tommy Kahnle and Aroldis Chapman followed Robertson’s outing combining to throw 3.1 innings, striking out four and allowing just one hit. Overall, the Yankees’ relievers combined to pitch 8.2 innings in relief, allowing just one run on five hits, while also striking out 13 batters.

The bullpen most certainly saved the Yankees from a very disappointing end to their season. Now, the team is off to Cleveland to take on the best team in the American League, the Indians.

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NEW YORK – A five out save and the final strike being the fastest heater recorded this season is a telltale sign that the New York Yankees’ closer is back. The Yankees secured the first win in their highly anticipated three game set against the Minnesota Twins 2-1 Monday night.

Aroldis Chapman is arguably the most valuable piece in the Yankees’ bullpen, and he just wasn’t himself in the month of August. But September has proven to be vastly different for the Cuban flamethrower. Chapman has thrown six scoreless innings for the Yankees and recorded 12 strikeouts over that period of time.

.@AChapman_105 is heating up for the stretch run.

His 103.6 mph pitch to end tonight’s @Yankees win is 2017’s fastest strikeout pitch! pic.twitter.com/Y0z5n5PVTs

— #Statcast (@statcast) September 19, 2017

Early on, it was Aaron Judge who gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead with his solo home run in the first inning off of Ervin Santana. Judge is now just three RBIs away from 100 and is sitting at 44 HRs on the year.

But the Twins capitalized on a mistake by Judge in the top half of the fifth inning and scored a run on a fielder’s choice.

Todd Frazier put the Yankees ahead with a sac-fly in the bottom of the sixth inning and the Yankees bullpen did not falter from there.

David Robertson, Dellin Betances and Chapman did not allow a hit in their 3.1 innings of work and combined to strikeout four Twins’ hitters.

With the victory, the Yankees moved to five games ahead of the Twins for the first place wild card spot, but more importantly, their closer is back to being the shutdown man that everyone is used to seeing.

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NEW YORK – Since returning from injury, Starlin Castro is hitting .358 with a HR, nine RBI and four doubles. The New York Yankees are 6-5 with Castro back in the lineup and he has shown why he is such an integral part of this team. The second baseman has also had four multi-hit games since his return, most of which have come in valuable situations.

To put it simply, Castro has evolved into the best hitter in the Yankees’ lineup. He has grown into a more mature hitter at the plate and comes through when the Yankees need him most.

Most recently, Castro delivered a huge three run homer to give the Yankees a 5-3 lead over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday afternoon. The Orioles had an early lead and Castro’s homer gave the Yankees a lot of momentum throughout the rest of the game.

In the final game of the four game series against the Boston Red Sox, Castro put the nail in the coffin for the Yankees with his bases-clearing double. This put the Yankees up 7-1 and ensured that Boston had no chance of making a comeback.

An argument could be made about several great hitters in the Yankees’ lineup, but for me, the thing that makes Castro so important is his ability to make contact with the baseball when he is up at the plate. The Yankees’ second baseman has refined his approach this season and hasn’t tried to do too much with a pitch. He takes what he is given and puts the ball in play.

Overall, Castro is going to be huge for the Yankees as they make their push into the playoffs. The Yankees’ lineup is finally getting back to full health and will look to make it four wins in a row on Tuesday night when they take on Baltimore.

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With Cleveland and Boston heading into New York for the next two series, the Yankees’ success hinges on the offense hitting the ball well. Now that the Bronx Bombers are back to full health, they are poised to have a huge September and make a postseason push.

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Starlin Castro and Greg Bird made their presence felt in the series against the Mariners, as they combined to hit 8-for-15 with 5 RBI. Bird and Castro’s return means only good things for the Yankees, who haven’t had much production from their first and second base replacements.

Since moving to first base, Chase Headley has been stellar, but Bird’s lefty bat provides the Yankees with another option against right-handed pitching. As for Castro, the Yankees’ second baseman had been out since the end of July with a hamstring injury. Castro’s bat is one of the best in the entire lineup, as he is hitting over .300 on the season with 12 HR’s and 48 RBI.

Once Gary Sanchez drops the appeal of his suspension, Bird and Castro’s bats should be enough to get the Yankees through those four games. From top to bottom, the Yankees have a plethora of power in their lineup and will be boosted even more once Matt Holliday returns from his injury.

The seven game homestand kicks off tonight with Luis Severino squaring off against Corey Kluber.

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For much of the season, Tanaka has been mediocre at best and a disappointment to the Yankees. Luis Severino has stepped into the role of “ace”, but Tanaka looked impressive in his performance against the Tigers. He allowed just six hits and three earned runs over seven innings of action, while also striking out four.

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Tanaka was a pitcher who dominated in his first three seasons as a starting pitcher in the MLB, with his highest ERA being 3.51 in 2015. This year, the former Cy Young candidate has posted a 4.86 ERA while losing 10 of his 24 games started.

Despite his quality start against Detroit, there is still reason to be skeptical of Tanaka. Usually, the righty depends on his splitter to induce a lot of ground balls, but that was not the case on Tuesday. He allowed 13 fly balls, a season high, and one of those ended up in the bleachers for a home run. In addition to the home run allowed last night, Tanaka has allowed a homer in six of his last seven outings.

In Tanaka’s best start of the season, he allowed just three hits and induced 17 grounds balls in the shutout victory over the Boston Red Sox.

Ultimately, it was a good sign that he worked so efficiently against the Tigers, but keeping the ball on the ground is a key to Tanaka’s success going forward.

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A bigger problem has presented itself to manager Joe Girardi in the month of August. While his Yankees have rattled off some impressive wins, closer Aroldis Chapman has pitched horrendously. Girardi has been persistent in saying that he will stick with his struggling closer, despite allowing seven earned runs in his five appearances this month. On Saturday afternoon, however, he said, “I will use [Chapman] at any point and we do not necessarily have a set closer.”

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Overall, there are three major issues that have troubled Chapman as a closer in the month of August: inefficiency, inability to locate slider, and swagger.

INEFFICIENCY IN AUGUST

At first glance, my first thought was to look at Chapman’s strike-to-ball ratio throughout the entirety of the season and here is what I found:

• APRIL: 110/157 FOR STRIKES = 70%
• MAY: 56/88 FOR STRIKES = 63%
• JUNE: 59/79 FOR STRIKES = 75%
• JULY: 149/227 FOR STRIKES = 66%
• AUGUST: 71/113 FOR STRIKES = 63%

In the month of August, Chapman’s strike percentage is down from his season average, but not by much. The most jaw-dropping statistic is in the months of May and June. Chapman made five appearances, just as he has in August, thus far. He threw just 88 pitches in May and only 79 in June. Clearly, he is having a harder time getting batters out and he is throwing more pitches to try and get them out. His inability to command the strike zone right away is getting to him and hitters are becoming more patient against the hard-throwing lefty.

INABILITY TO LOCATE SLIDER:

Chapman is essentially a two-pitch pitcher; he hardly ever throws the changeup that is in his arsenal. So when his slider is not being located where he wants it, hitters are honing in on his fastball. Chapman’s slider is arguably more important than his fastball for the sole reason that it keeps hitters off balance. In Friday’s game, he threw a 1-2 slider to Jackie Bradley Jr. that was ripped into center field, plating two runs for the Red Sox. In Chapman’s first appearance of the season, he demonstrated what his slider is supposed to do as it tailed off the plate in his strikeout of Rays’ shortstop, Brad Miller. Miller was fooled so badly that he took a half-swing at the pitch and made his way back to the dugout.

CHAPMAN’S SWAGGER:

Undoubtedly, Aroldis Chapman is one of the most feared pitchers to face in all of baseball. His best fastball tops out around 103-104 MPH and when he brushes a hitter off the plate, you know the Chapman swag is in full effect. He needs to get his swag back, plain and simple. He isn’t confident on the mound right now and hitters are taking advantage of that. The thing that makes Chapman so effective is how intimidating he is on the mound. Starlin Castro told Anothony McCaron of the New York Daily News back in April, “There are a lot of pitchers who throw hard these days, but, the Yankee second baseman added, “They don’t ‘see’ hard — you can still see the ball well against them.” Castro continued, “He throws 100 and that ball, it looks like 200, especially now, because he’s throwing a changeup and slider, too.” Hitters have a genuine fear when they go up to the plate against Chapman, but not when he is rattled.

Rewind to Brad Miller’s at-bat against Chapman in April. Miller was brushed off the plate by a 101 MPH fastball and then had no chance of hitting his 90 MPH slider tailing away later on in the at-bat. Against Bradley Jr., Chapman should have brushed him off the plate and then finished the lefty hitter off with the slider.

Chapman will be working ferociously to get back to the pitcher he was earlier on in the season and when he does, hitters beware.

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So what does the Yankees’ phenom setting the single-season strikeout record mean? To put it simply, it means nothing. Judge is still getting on base just as much as he is striking out. In the second half alone, Judge has 27 walks, despite his poor batting average. To go along with that, the rookie outfielder walked in 22 of the 33 games during his strikeout streak.

The pitch that has plagued Judge the most is the breaking ball down and away that he tends to chase. Here are a couple of instances where he elected to chase a pitch way out of the zone:

Put all stats to the side now and think about the player that Judge is. He has the work ethic of someone who wants to be great for a long time and has all the class of a savvy veteran. Judge is a rookie doing things that no one expected of him and breaking records other than the strikeout one.

After the game, Judge still joked with reporters and wasn’t upset about the strikeout record. “Was I aware [of the record]?” Judge said smiling. “I was told before the game that I tied the record. I think you just informed me that I broke the record, so thank you. There’s nothing I can really say.”

Despite his jokes, Judge did say in all seriousness, “There are some great pitchers in this league. You’re going to get fooled sometimes. They’re going to get you. If I keep taking my good swings, swing at the right pitches, good things will happen.”

Ultimately, you look at Judge’s season stats, .292/.420/.614, and you can’t be mad with the results he has put up. To put Judge’s numbers into perspective, a hitter who strikes out less than any other player, Jose Altuve, has an OBP of .423. Judge is still getting on base just as much as one of the best hitters in baseball so who cares if he strikes out once every game? If he has productive at-bats in the other times he is up to the plate, I certainly cannot complain.

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Things are starting to get interesting at first base for the New York Yankees. Between Chase Headley and Garrett Cooper swinging hot bats, it seems unlikely that Greg Bird will have a spot in the lineup upon his return from injury.

And despite Headley’s resurgence since his move to first base, the Yankees rode Cooper’s hot hand on Thursday night in the final game of a three game set against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Cooper has thrived since getting the opportunity to play for the Yankees. In his last seven games he is 11-for-23, with 5 RBI and two extra-base hits. To go along with that, Cooper recorded his first four hit night on Wednesday – forcing Girardi to put him in the lineup on Thursday. The rookie certainly didn’t disappoint on Thursday night either as he collected another two hits in the 4-0, shutout loss. Cooper’s two hits were nearly half of what the Yankees entire offense amounted all night.

Garrett Cooper: 8 hits in 10 AB in this series

— Katie Sharp (@ktsharp) August 11, 2017

With that being said, Cooper is certainly earning his playing time at first base and making things incredibly difficult for manager Joe Girardi going forward. The debate now becomes: do you platoon Cooper and Headley once Bird returns?

My answer is no. Certainly, Headley has proved to hit the ball well since moving to first but Cooper has simply been hitting the ball tremendously all season, predominantly in Triple-A. If Cooper’s success continues, management is going to be faced with the decision of whether or not they need to move on from Greg Bird entirely, at least for the 2017 season.

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This series opener had the feel of a postseason matchup, as the two aces were both dealing. Gray’s night ended after six effective innings. He allowed two earned runs (two unearned), walked three and struck out six in what looked to be a step in the right direction for the Yankees’ pitching staff.

If you eliminate the three first inning errors by the Yankees, the game looks more like 3-1 – but at the end of the day, the Yankees’ offense just isn’t producing at the level it should be. There were three opportunities that the Bronx Bombers failed to capitalize on with runners in scoring position.

Leading off the top of the fourth inning, Clint Frazier laced a double down the right field line, giving the Yankees their first hit of the night off of Kluber and their first sign of life. Didi Gregorious followed Frazier’s at-bat with a loud fly out to center field, advancing Frazier to third base.

Gary Sanchez and Jacoby Ellsbury both failed to drive in Frazier from third base, and the Yankees ended the inning without scoring a run. Opportunities like those are incredibly hard to come by, especially against a pitcher like Kluber — so making the most of your chances is vital.

Overall, the Yankees rank among one of the worst teams in baseball in terms of leaving runners in scoring position. According to teamrankings.com, the Yankees have left nearly four RISP per game this season. And over their last three games, they have left approximately five RISP per game.

Pitching can only take you so far when your offense cannot produce. A very undervalued piece of the offense this season has been Starlin Castro, who is currently sitting on the 10 day disabled list. Once Castro returns, look for him to bolster the Yankees’ lineup and take some of the pressure off of the guys at the top of the order.

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NEW YORK – The New York Yankees bounced back from their loss on Sunday afternoon where they stranded a plethora of base runners and beat the Detroit Tigers, 7-3. One of the key contributors to the victory was Chase Headley, who drove in the first two runs of the game for the Yankees.

Since the acquisition of Todd Frazier and the looming thought that Headley might be replaced entirely from the Yankees’ lineup, the 33-year-old switch hitter has not disappointed playing at first base.

Chase Headley is the best of the 327 first basemen the Yankees have used this year.

— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) July 28, 2017

After Monday night’s victory, Headley is now 15-for-35 with five RBI’s and four extra base hits. To go along with that, he has a perfect fielding percentage in his 13 games played at first so far.

It appears as though the added pressure to Headley has helped him produce more for the Yanks – and the fact that he is no longer pressed with having to make strenuous throws from third base anymore.

Overall, Headley has been mostly consistent in every month this season, aside from his brutal month of May. He slashed .165/.211/.235 dropping his season batting average to .230. In all the other months that he has played this season, his lowest batting average was .296.

Best AL batting averages in the second half:

1. Jose Altuve .481 BA
2. Didi Gregorius .389 BA
3. Chase Headley .388 BA#Astros #Yankees

— Zachary Abate (@zabate) July 28, 2017

With Headley firing on all cylinders, this Yankees’ lineup is only more lethal. On Tuesday, CC Sabathia takes on Anibal Sanchez as the Yankees will look to carry on their end of July success into the latter part of the season.

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NEW YORK – Brett Gardner did it all for the New York Yankees on Thursday night. Trailing by a run going into the ninth inning, Gardner led off the inning with a triple and eventually scored the game-tying run – followed by a walk off solo HR to end the game. This back and forth affair between the Bronx Bombers and Tampa Bay Rays ended after 11 innings by a score of 6-5.

The at bat that changed the complexion of the night for the Yankees and Gardner came in the seventh inning. On a 3-0 count, Gardner took a pitch that appeared to be high and out of the strike zone but was called a strike. Both Gardner and manager Joe Girardi voiced their frustrations after Gardner ended up grounding out to end his at-bat.

This at-bat did not appear to be pivotal at that particular moment in time, but it wound up paying dividends for the Yankees in the later innings. Entering the ninth inning, Gardner was 0-for-3 with a walk and he was just itching to get on base against Rays’ closer, Alex Colome. The Yankees’ outfielder was down 1-2 in the count but laced a triple into the left-center field gap. The Yankees’ bench was fired up as Gardner slid into third base safely.

In the 11th inning, Gardner found himself at-bat again, this time versus Andrew Kittredge. The count was 1-1 when Gardner demolished a hanging slider over the plate to walk the game off for the Yankees. Gardner’s desire to win so badly pushed the Yankees to an epic victory over the Rays – and a much needed victory nonetheless.

Brett Gardner smacks his third career walk-off HR as the Yanks complete the comeback against the Rays pic.twitter.com/3otDRD5KTX

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 28, 2017

Gardy Party!!
pic.twitter.com/0qt3EdBHFz

— Bronx Pinstripes (@BronxPinstripes) July 28, 2017

With the win, the Yankees improved to 54-46 on the season and have now won four games in a row – sitting just a half game behind the first place Boston Red Sox. Masahiro Tanaka will look to keep the streak rolling when he takes on Austin Pruitt in the second of four games against the Rays.

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NEW YORK – The Yankees returned home for the first of two games against the Cincinnati Reds and shortstop Didi Gregorious came out swinging for the fences. In his 2-for-3 effort, featuring a solo home run, the Yankees topped the Reds by a score of 4-2.

DIDI w/ the RANGE and Headley gettin sprinkles w/ that SCOOP!!! pic.twitter.com/AHaaPl1LzX

— Bronx Pinstripes (@BronxPinstripes) July 26, 2017

Southpaw Jordan Montgomery fired 6.2 innings and allowed only one run while striking out six on the night. But the star of the night for the Yankees was Gregorious. The shortstop made a couple of stellar defensive plays coupled with a home run and sacrifice fly – good for two of the Yankees four runs.

In the top of the fifth inning, Devin Mesoraco lined a sharp ground ball towards shortstop and Gregorious ranged to his right to make a great sliding stab, followed by a strong throw to first base to get the relatively speedy Reds’ catcher.

The biggest story over the past two weeks for Gregorious has been his offense. He is hitting 18-for-45 (.400) with eight runs scored, five home runs and eight RBI over that span of time. The past two games alone Gregorious has hit three home runs and has driven in four runs.

Above all, Gregorious credits his teammates for his recent success. In his post game interview with Ryan Ruocco, he said, “It’s all about trying to play the game and keep the momentum going, without my teammates getting on base I wouldn’t be having any success.” Gregorious added, “As long as we get the win, that’s the most important thing.”

pic.twitter.com/TwwivqriAH

— Bronx Pinstripes (@BronxPinstripes) July 26, 2017

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SEATTLE – The New York Yankees were on the cusp of solidifying their first series win since June 11th, but fell in heartbreaking fashion to the Seattle Mariners, 6-5 in 10 innings. In the midst of a tough loss, one player stood out more than anyone: Matt Holliday continues to be the most clutch bat in the Yankees’ lineup.

At 37-years-old and batting .242 on the season, Holliday is a player that many overlook – especially with the season that rookie Aaron Judge is having. However, the wily veteran provides clutch at-bats when the Yankees need him the most, which is why he will be such a valuable asset come playoff time.

In Saturday night’s loss to Seattle, the Yankees trailed 5-4 heading into the top half of the eighth inning. Brett Gardner, Clint Frazier and Aaron Judge all found their way on base with one out in the inning when Holliday made his way to the plate. Instead of trying to rip a go-ahead grand slam or base hit, the 37-year-old ensured that the run would score from third base by hitting a deep sacrifice fly to right field.

Including Saturday night’s game, Holliday has hit a game-tying/go-ahead run in seven games this season. He trails only Judge (7) and Gardner (7) in game winning runs batted in this season while playing nearly 20 less games than both of them. Holliday’s six GWRBI ranks second in the American League East for players who have played in less than 80 games — (Tim Beckham is first with seven).

APRIL 27: Chris Sale bested by Holliday at Fenway

Masahiro Tanaka threw a gem for the Yankees when they played Chris Sale and the Boston Red Sox. The only player to have success off of Sale was Holliday, as he hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning and delivered an insurance run in the ninth with a single to left field, pushing the Yankees’ lead to 2-0. The Bronx Bombers went on to win this game by a score of 3-0, largely in part to Holliday’s clutch bat.

APRIL 28: The walk-off three run home run vs. Baltimore

Tied at 11-11 in the 10th inning, Holliday launched a game-winning three run home run to give the Yankees a thrilling victory after trailing by eight runs earlier on in the game.

Video of the Day: Matt Holliday capped #Yankees comeback from 9-1 down with a walk-off, three-run HR against #Orioles. pic.twitter.com/WeJ7xI1o3h

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) April 29, 2017

MAY 19: Holliday knots things up at the Trop

Heading into the top of the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays the Yankees trailed 4-2 before Holliday blasted a game-tying two-run home run off of Ryne Stanek. The Yankees went on to lose this game, but Holliday showed that his bat matters most in late innings and crucial situations.

Matt Holliday hits a two-run home run to right-center field and ties the game at 4 in the top of the 8th inning!! #BronxBombersAreBack pic.twitter.com/FoWwul55ok

— TheRenderMLB (@TheRenderMLB) May 20, 2017

MAY 27: Go-ahead two-run homer proves decisive in Yankees’ victory

After Ryon Healy tied things up at 1-1 for the Oakland Athletics in the top half of the sixth inning, Holliday responded with a huge two-run home run off of Jharel Cotton – a decisive blast that led to a Yankees’ victory.

JUNE 21: Another go-ahead homer against the Halos

Martin Maldonado launched a two-run homer off of Jordan Montgomery in the top of the fourth inning, knotting the score at 2-2. In the bottom half of the fifth, Holliday responded with a solo shot to right field, which proved to be the decisive run in the Yankees’ 8-4 victory.

#MLB

Aquí el HR de Matt Holliday para darle la ventaja a los Yankees y la posterior victoria. #BronxBomberspic.twitter.com/9N0h0ZLb1a

— Scores&Sounds (@scoresandsound1) June 22, 2017

JULY 15: Holliday hits 100 MPH heater over the Monster to force extras

With the Yankees marred in one of their worst slumps this season and trailing 1-0 in the ninth inning, Holliday stepped up to the plate against one of the best closers in the game, Craig Kimbrel. Kimbrel tried pumping a fastball by the veteran Holliday but the 37-year-old turned on the pitch and tied the game at 1-1 for the Yankees in what, ultimately, would result in a victory.

#MLB

Así el HR que le dio el empate a los Yankees en la 9ª de Matt Holliday, para luego decidirlo en la 16ª.

pic.twitter.com/zPPcwAjEYh

— Scores&Sounds (@scoresandsound1) July 16, 2017

WHAT TO EXPECT GOING FORWARD:

For all we know, Holliday could have had more clutch hits if a body infection in June did not plague him. This is a player that is going to be pivotal in the Yankees’ success down the stretch. If the Yankees ever need a batter to come up in a vital situation, all confidence should be in Holliday to deliver a big hit. He is hitting 19-for-61 with RISP this season along with 36 RBIs so he gets the job done at a .311 clip.

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SEATTLE – Joe Girardi can finally relax: the New York Yankees bullpen is back to being lethal again. After blowing 18 games to begin this season, general manager Brian Cashman knew the Yankees needed help in the bullpen so he acquired Tommy Kahnle and David Robertson from the Chicago White Sox, and they are already paying dividends.

After Aaron Judge launched his league leading 31st home run of the season to the last row in Safeco Field, it was time for the Yankees’ bullpen to go to work with the team up 5-1 over the Seattle Mariners. CC Sabathia provided five quality innings for the Yankees but issued a walk to start the sixth inning, forcing Girardi to put Kahnle in his first real trouble as a Yankee.

THE Judge HR that you will talk about for a lonnnnnng time.
pic.twitter.com/6TsSeKLav4

— Bronx Pinstripes (@BronxPinstripes) July 22, 2017

The pressure did not faze Kahnle as he pitched a scoreless inning in relief and struck out Mitch Haniger looking on a 97 MPH fastball at the knees. Following Kahnle’s scoreless sixth, Robertson came on in the seventh and struck out the side. Robertson’s use of the knuckle-curveball proved to be effective as two of the three batters he set down came on that pitch.

Kanhle and Robertson make the Yankees’ bullpen arguably the most deadly in all of baseball. Their ability to lock down the sixth and seventh innings takes a lot of strain off of Dellin Betances, Chad Green and Adam Warren to continuously pitch those innings.

The Yankees’ bullpen now has two pitchers that can be relied on to get outs when necessary on a night in and night out basis. Prior to their acquisition, Tyler Clippard was forced to pitch high leverage situations and the Yankees never knew what they were going to get from him.

Going forward, consistency and quality are two things the bullpen will never lack.

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SEATTLE – A day after new acquisitions David Robertson, Tommy Kahnle and Todd Frazier settled in with their new team, the New York Yankees traveled out west to take on the Seattle Mariners, looking for their first series win since June 11th. A sharp Luis Severino helped the Bronx Bombers grab a win, 4-1, improving their away record to 3-11 against AL West teams this season.

Yankees are 0-8-2 in last 10 series, their longest stretch without a series win since 1991 (via @EliasSports).

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 20, 2017

Brett Gardner provided a big blast in the top of the sixth inning, finally ending the stalemate between Severino and Felix Hernandez. King Felix had his best stuff on Thursday night, but his offense had nothing to show for his quality start. Severino is quickly becoming the most trustworthy pitcher on the entire Yankees’ staff. He threw seven scoreless innings while also adding six strikeouts to his tremendous tally this year. He told reporters, “I enjoy it. I knew it was going to be tough every time I face a guy like Felix; I just tried to bring my A stuff, tried to make pitches, tried to get hitters out.”

The 23-year-old power thrower has transformed after struggling mightily last year, but what has been the key to Severino’s success? The answer: His ability to finish hitters off when he has two strikes on them and not over throwing the baseball. When he pitched against the Mariners last season, he allowed four earned runs over 5.2 innings pitched and was awarded a loss. One of the best hitters on the Mariners, Nelson Cruz, was able to rattle off two hits against Severino because of the young righty’s inability to finish off a batter when he had him 0-2.

However, in Thursday night’s game, Severino showed the poise of a veteran pitcher against Cruz when he set him down with a nasty breaking ball, down in the dirt. In this particular at-bat, Cruz took two balls right away, but Severino delivered two quality pitches to even the count back at 2-2. Instead of leaving a pitch for Cruz to hit over the plate, Severino baited him into swinging at a pitch down and away.

Luis Severino isn’t intimidated by going up against other teams’ aces. pic.twitter.com/TTRXfUes9V

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) July 21, 2017

And this is what has transformed Luis Severino into an All-Star pitcher. He is no longer missing his location with his fastball, and he certainly is not lacking confidence anymore. Even Mariners’ manager Scott Servais was impressed by the quality of Severino’s performance. “Severino was as good as we’ve seen all year,” he said. “We’ve had some well-pitched games against us, but just the stuff that he fired out there, you don’t see guys carry the velocity that late in the ballgame.”

Most Starts of 7+ IP and 1 or fewer Runs This Season:

Clayton Kershaw 10 Luis Severino 7 Max Scherzer 7 — Katie Sharp (@ktsharp) July 21, 2017

If Severino continues to pitch as well as he has for the Yankees, he will be the ace of the staff for the foreseeable future.

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BOSTON — The New York Yankees were in an optimal position to win their first game back from the All-Star break on Friday night against the first place Boston Red Sox. Heading into the ninth inning with a 4-3 lead, it was up to Aroldis Chapman to nail down the last three outs of the game.

Even without any balls leaving the infield in the ninth inning, the Red Sox came away with a 5-4, walk off victory — another crushing defeat for the Yankees. Chapman was given the loss in the record books but the Yankees’ defense let him down in more ways than one.

Chapman allowed an infield single to Mookie Bets, the first batter of the ninth inning. Betts has tremendous speed so there was no chance that shortstop Didi Gregorious could make a play at first.

Following Betts’ at bat, Dustin Pedroia hit a ball in the same spot as the Red Sox right fielder but Gregorious had a chance to make a play at second base for the force out. Ronald Torreyes was forced to jump and try to make a catch on Gregorious’ errant throw. Had Starlin Castro been playing, the out is most likely made because he is six inches taller than Torreyes.

Instead, the Red Sox continued the ninth inning with runners on first and second with no outs. With Xander Boegarts up at the plate, Betts and Pedroia successfully performed a double steal with Chapman failing to keep either runner close. The Yankees brought their infield in to try and prevent the tying run from crossing the plate, but Torreyes booted the sharp grounder hit right at him.

Aroldis Chapman faced 5 batters and did not record an out- first time he has faced at least 5 batters and failed to record at least one out.

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 15, 2017

With the game tied at 4-4, Chapman intentionally walked Hanley Ramirez and then unintentionally walked in the game-winning run on a pitch than ran inside on Andrew Benintendi.

Aroldis Chapman speaks with @M_Marakovits after surrendering 2 ER in the bottom of the 9th vs. Boston. pic.twitter.com/3agMDK69RZ

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) July 15, 2017

Another heart breaking loss for the Yankees marks their 18th blown save this season — dropping their record to 45-42 on the year. Chapman did walk in the game-winning run, but the blame falls solely on the Yankees’ defense for not getting him the sure outs he needed to get through the inning.

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NEW YORK – On June 12, the New York Yankees held a 38-23 record and sat four games above the second place Boston Red Sox, but things certainly took a turn for the worse when they lost seven straight series, dropping their record to a mediocre 45-41. Several things went wrong for the Bronx Bombers during their rough stretch, but they are certainly not out of the playoff race. Masahiro Tanaka, Dellin Betances and Gary Sanchez all need to perform to their full potential if the Yankees want any chance of playing in October.

Tanaka needs a confidence boost

The Yankees’ ace, Masahiro Tanaka, is having the worst season of his career. The right-handed pitcher has shown glimpses of greatness in a couple of starts this season, but a majority have been him getting hit around like a piñata. In Tanaka’s time in the Majors, he has a 3.53 ERA overall, and it would most likely be near a 3.00 if it was not for his 5.47 ERA this year. Tanaka’s main problem this season has been his inability to locate his pitches and the excess of home runs that he has allowed. He has already surpassed the amount of home runs he allowed last season (22) and the season is only half way through. The splitter that Tanaka so frequently gets hitters to chase has been rising up into the strike zone and hanging for easy hits. Going into his final start of the first half against the Milwaukee Brewers he posted a 1.29 ERA over his previous three starts, but fell back to his bad tendencies when he allowed two home runs in a losing effort.

Tanaka got himself into trouble early on in the first inning, and Travis Shaw capitalized on 3-2 off-speed pitch that hung right over the plate. In the very next inning, Tanaka allowed a solo shot to Stephen Vogt on the same pitch that Shaw took deep. Catcher Gary Sanchez set up down and away, but the pitch found its way back to the inner half. In many of Tanaka’s bad outings this season, he struggles early to locate and then loses all confidence in himself to bounce back. Despite the struggles, he is a proven pitcher who the Yankees need to have rebound. Staying out of trouble early and finding his groove will be his keys to success in the second half of the season.

Is Betances trying too hard to get outs?

Yankees’ reliever Dellin Betances is not having the year he envisioned going into this season. Despite leading relievers is K/9 (16.84), he is walking hitters more than he ever has in his entire career. Entering this season, he had a 3.38 career BB/9 ratio. He has nearly tripled that number this year with his 8.26 BB/9. So what really is the problem with Betances? To put it simply, he is trying too hard to get outs and over throwing pitches regularly. After looking very effective in his final appearance of the first half, Betances struggled mightily to locate pitches during the All-Star Game.

Betances was just a tad wild in that inning pic.twitter.com/z1HZBKQ2Yd

— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) July 12, 2017

Fellow all-star Bryce Harper noted how Betances struggles locating his pitches. “I feel like he’s a guy you can go up there and just take,” Harper said. “He’ll walk you.” When Betances is on, he has two phenomenal pitches: a fastball that can top out at 100 MPH, and a breaking ball that buckles hitters’ knees as it falls through the strike zone. He is pressing too much just as he did in the month of September last year when the Yankees needed him to be most effective. Playing in New York is a tough task, but he has proven to be capable of handling the spotlight. Now all he needs is the support of his teammates and to relax on the mound.

Sanchez needs to be better defensively

Gary Sanchez is a player that has not been talked about because of the emergence of Aaron Judge, which is almost a good thing for the young catcher. Sanchez has been hitting the ball well most of the season, but ended the first half on a 1-for-17 skid. Offensively, Sanchez does not have anything to worry about, however, his defensive skills have been suspect for most of the season.

When Sanchez was called up to the big leagues, scouts raved over his arm strength and ability to throw out base runners. The issue with him is his inability to prevent passed balls and the amount of errors he has made this season. The backstop ranks second to last in errors this season, as he has made nine in his 47 appearances behind the plate. He ranks only ahead of Willson Contreras, who has made 13 errors in 73 games this season. Sanchez also ranks second to last in passed balls allowed, as he has let seven slip by him. Yasmani Grandal has allowed nine passed balls in his 69 games played. The two players that Sanchez ranks ahead of in errors and passed balls have played far more games than he has, putting the young catcher on pace for worst defensive catcher in those two categories.

Manager Joe Girardi has already spoken with Sanchez about needing to block balls and how to get into a better position when blocking pitches in the dirt. “It had nothing to do with scolding him,” Girardi said following Sanchez failing to block a strike-three splitter from Masahiro Tanaka. “It was about where you put your weight on certain pitches. I don’t have a problem with his effort, but sometimes he shows his frustrations. But he’s still a very young player.” Sanchez has a plethora of potential and needs to hone in on his defensive skills if the Yankees want to make a run at a playoff spot this year.

Why these three players?

I chose these three players because they are all so fundamentally important to this team’s success. Tanaka needs to be an ace if the Yankees want to make the playoffs, Betances needs to be the effective set up man that he has proven to be over the years and Sanchez needs to be better behind the plate. Out of these three players, Sanchez has the biggest influence in shaping this team into a playoff contender. A catcher needs to call a stellar game for his pitchers every time out and needs to ensure that no runs are scored because he lets a ball slip passed him in a pivotal moment. If Sanchez can figure out his defensive struggles, while Betances and Tanaka improve on the mound, look for the Yankees to bounce back in the second half of the season.

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CHICAGO – The New York Yankees travelled to the South Side of Chicago to take on the White Sox Monday night, and came away with a 6-5 victory. Southpaw Jordan Montgomery dazzled in seven strong innings for the Bronx Bombers, as he allowed only one run and struck out nine batters.

Seemingly every start the young rookie has improved and lasted longer into games. But what has made Montgomery so successful this season? For starters, it is his vast pitch variety that keeps hitters off balance. Montgomery possesses a four-seam fastball, a two-seam fastball/cutter, a curveball, a slider and a changeup – making it very hard for hitters to know what is coming out of his hand at the time of the pitch. In Monday night’s game versus the White Sox, Montgomery made one mistake in the beginning of the game to power-hitter, Todd Frazier. The lefty threw a pitch right over the heart of the plate which Frazier took out of the ballpark for a solo home run. Following that blip, Montgomery struck out seven of eight batters on off-speed pitches that looked appealing but fell out of the strike zone, making him nearly impossible to hit all night.

Montgomery’s ability to better command the strike zone has been important in his recent success. In Montgomery’s first two months as a starting pitcher, he issued 19 walks combined, but he has walked only five batters in his last four starts. Ultimately, it seems as though Montgomery’s walk rate is declining while his strikeout rate is continuing to rise.

After snagging the 5th starter’s job out of spring training, @Gumbynation34 has continued to impress in his rookie season. pic.twitter.com/REcrTZ2tjH

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) June 27, 2017

The fact that Montgomery’s fastest pitch reaches about 93 MPH while his slowest pitch tops out at about 75 MPH makes him very hard to gauge from the batter’s box. If he continues to keep hitters off balance with his bevy of different pitches, look for Montgomery to be an integral part of this Yankees’ rotation in less than a year.

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