Sticky Rice

 

Well. This year certainly took a turn, didn't it?

Y'know, you think you know how a season's gonna go and then it keeps surprising you. The Yankees come roaring in out of the gate and then stop cold midyear, then the Blue Jays take hold of the division in the classiest, most inoffensive way possible. And now, as the season's coming to a close, the Yankees have an opportunity to take the division back. As I write this, the Yankees are obliterating Trevor Rogers and leading over Baltimore while the Jays are tied against Tampa. If this continues to progress exponentially, the Yankees could end up with the division that, for a while, looked like was never theirs to finish with. There's also a chance that if the Yankees take the East, they might even take the #1 seed, which is something that seemed out of the question just a month ago, or even two weeks ago.

No matter how the season ultimately ends, the Yankees' 2025 season will be summed up by the insane swells that guided them here. That includes their blistering first 2 months, where they went 35-22, and the stretch from mid-August til now, right after the bullpen got everything figured out. Even if July and August were disasters, the Yankees still found a way to win 90 games this year, and did it with 3 30+ homer seasons [4 if Bellinger gets there this weekend], a 30-30 season, a 50 homer year from Judge, two 18+ win years from starters not named Gerrit Cole, and 3 guys who made all their starts and, at least two of which, hit 195 innings. A lot was accomplished. A lot was learned. And a lot separates them from the pack.

Let's talk about Ben Rice for a second. Last year I saw him start at 1st against the Braves, for the first-ever Fried/Rice game, and the last one to happen with Fried not in pinstripes. Rice couldn't get a damn thing done. He had one insane game last year, a 3 homer game I think, but barring that he was unspectacular. They sent him down when Rizzo returned, and you kept hearing down the stretch about how much Rice was killing it in Scranton. Thought nothing of it. Then Rice makes the team out of camp, he's expected to back up Goldy and be a DH option, and he becomes one of the team's best hitters. Through 136 games he has a .826 OPS, 24 homers and 63 RBIs. He was a much more consistent power threat this year, and his flexibility, being able to play 1st, DH or catcher, made him even more valuable. You can have him in the same lineup as Goldschmidt, or Wells, or both. You get him in there and he's just as important as Bellinger or Chisholm or Stanton.

The Yankees have just landed on a formula that works. Judge is Judge but doesn't always have to be the focal point. Rodon and Fried are strong but Gil, Warren and Schlittler are just as reliable. Bednar works in the 9th, Williams works in the 8th. Even if we can't get 1st place, or 1st seed, we're much further along than we were midyear, and we're much stronger than we were even during the 2024 playoffs. I think if we keep on this run we could really get somewhere. 

I'm just glad the Yankees' season is ending in a playoff berth, and possibly more. I was so worried we wouldn't even get that.

Coming Tomorrow- A corner infielder trying to ensure his team can shock the world this weekend.