In Between the Pinstripes #36

In Between the Pinstripes_36: We will fight on
It truly was Tanaka Time in the Bronx tonight. The $155 Million man pitched his best game in pinstripes when they truly needed. Tanaka looked like the ace that Brian Cashman signed before the 2015 season. The well-advertised split-finger was diving straight down and fooling all of the Indian hitters. Jay Bruce went 0-3 with three strike outs against the Yankee right hander. Bruce was 3-9 against the bombers up until tonight where he carried an 0-4; and not just any 0-4, a golden sombrero.

Greg Bird hit an absolute bomb into the second deck in right field. The only other ball I’ve seen that far into the stands was when Mark Teixeira hit a ball into the luxury boxes in 2009. This moonball off the bat of Bird leaves Yankee fans asking the question “what can a full season of Greg Bird at 1st look like?” From his hot September in 2015 to so far post season glory with the bomb into the 2nd deck giving the Yanks life in this years’ ALDS.

With life, comes another opportunity to claw back into this series and send it back to Cleveland on Wednesday night. Luis Severino toes the rubber tomorrow (weather permitting) as he looks for redemption from his awful outing against the Twins five days ago in the Wild Card game.

Severino this year against the Indians is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 13.1 innings with a .133 batting average against. If you believe in second chances, well this is as big a second chance that you can have in sports. Severino has been the Yankees ace this year—and just like Tanaka Severino needs to bring everything he has to send this series back for a Game 5 where ANYTHING can happen.


This team has team has been a team that doesn’t quit that will take every at-bat that you give them and use it, squeezing everything they can out of each play. The resiliency that this bunch has shown is unlike any I have seen in my years watching the Yankees. No team fights back like these baby bombers, and with Josh Tomlin scheduled to go tomorrow this is a great opportunity to send the series back to Cleveland. Tomlin threw 18 pitches and got the win in Friday’s extra inning win for the Indians, and was up tonight late in the ball game. If Francona pitches Tomlin, and Severino pitches like he is the ace he has been, that’s as good of a chance as you’ll ever get in an elimination game. This series is to equivalent driving down a windy road going 100 MPH and not stopping. But, I say let’s do the same thing tomorrow!  

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