Championship Series' Day 6: Back in the New York Groove

 

Yes, I watched it. Yes, I watched all of it.

The thing about this Yanks-Guardians series is that whoever wins is gonna need to lie down for a while afterwards. This is not a quaint series. Yanks-Royals was quaint comparatively. This is a bloodbath. There was only one real score change but the tension and drama made this quite the watch.

And it boils down to the Guardians not being satisfied with just throwing it in. This is a great clutch team, and even when you think the game's been decided they can fight back and make you regret it. I got so worried Jhonkensy Noel was gonna go yard again tonight but thankfully Dugie saved it. I got so worried Mark Leiter was gonna blow the game but he got this team out of quite the pickle late. I got worried every time Fry got up, or even Rocchio, because this team is capable of so much the second you count them out. There were so many points in the ninth where things could have gone wrong, even down to Berti bobbling the ball on the last out, but it all wrapped up cleanly.

It all came down to the fact that the Yankees have completely figured out the Guardians' bullpen. Tonight they got to Cade Smith, thanks to a moonshot from Giancarlo Stanton. And they did more with Clase, all those theatrics in the ninth courtesy of Volpe and Verdugo and Torres. They didn't do badly against Gavin Williams either, with Soto and Wells going yard off of him. The Yankees hitting has figured out the Guardians' pitching, and that's why they're 3-1.

Here's what's damning. Tomorrow, Tanner Bibee will be pitching Game 5 on very short rest. This organization doesn't have great luck with starting their best pitcher on low rest, and people who were around in 2016 can tell you all about that. This thing could turn again at the drop of a hat, but there's a chance we get this done in Cleveland. It's in sight. Not definite of course, but the Yankees can see the next stage.

I'm hesitant about the Yankees getting it done tomorrow because the Dodgers sure couldn't today. Jack Flaherty had such a great start in Game 1, and so they brought him back and the Mets killed him. So many Mets got a handle on Flaherty's stuff, including Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Francisco Alvarez, Francisco Lindor, and of course Starling Marte, who had a ton of really helpful RBIs throughout. David Peterson was still somewhat roughed up today, but he did way better than Flaherty, and provided the exact kind of stability the Mets needed with Senga resting.

The Mets somehow have enough life still in them that they can chase the Dodgers, a game away from the World Series, for a 12-6 victory. Even as the Mets' rotation begins to struggle a bit, they still have more going on than the Dodgers' rotation, and that could keep them alive for longer than anyone might think.

For Game 6, back in L.A., I assume we'll see Manaea and Landon Knack. Which, again, doesn't bode very well for the Dodgers. But at the same time...with the team the Dodgers have this year, you never know what kind of mound performance will be enough to get it done.