…but their biggest challenge looms
By Max Goodman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton were the heroes in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series on Friday night. Their clutch home runs were the Yankees’ entire offense and the difference in the 5-2 win over Cleveland, swings that powered this team to the World Series.
The bullpen, along with manager Aaron Boone and the organization’s pitching department, deserve a boatload of credit for the ALCS clincher as well.
After 4 2/3 innings from starter Carlos Rodón, Boone summoned four different relievers from the ‘pen to get the final 13 outs. All four were either pitching in a different role at the beginning of this season or not on the Yankees’ roster altogether.
Mark Leiter Jr., a trade deadline acquisition that flopped over the final few months of the regular season, stepped up again. He played a big role in the Yankees’ victory in Game 4 against the Guardians as well, redefining his first impression in pinstripes with huge ALCS outs.
From there, Boone went to left-hander Tim Hill and right-hander Jake Cousins. Both relievers started this year with the White Sox, the team that went on to set a new modern record for losses in a single season. Cousins was acquired by the Yankees via trade. Hill was scooped up after getting released by Chicago. From the scrap heap to the best stretches of their big-league careers, they’ve been the latest success stories for the Yankees’ pitching team.
And then there’s Luke Weaver, who got the final six outs in another gutsy postseason gem.
Remember when Weaver was re-signed this past winter to be the long man in the Yankees’ bullpen? He was an option to replace Gerrit Cole in the starting rotation when the ace got hurt in spring training, a starter for the first nine years of his big-league career.
Certain changes in a Yankees uniform have allowed Weaver to take off in a high-leverage role out of the bullpen. Since he took over as the Yankees’ closer, he’s been virtually unhittable.
“If I would have told you a month ago or two months ago that we were going to close out the American League with Mark Leiter Jr., Tim Hill, Jake Cousins and Luke Weaver, I don’t know if many people would have thought that,” Boone said after the win. “It’s a credit to each and every one of those guys. Just their ability to do their job, their ability to focus, their ability to lock in. Proud of that group.”
Boone’s urgency has worked out thus far with managing the ‘pen. Other than a few minor hiccups along the way, that unit has been lights out in October. Yankees relievers are 5-1 with a 2.56 ERA since the end of the regular season.
As effective as that part of the Yankees’ roster has been, however, Boone and the bullpen are now in for their biggest challenge yet.
Protecting a lead against the Royals and Guardians was tough and led to some nail-biting moments in the ALDS and ALCS. Can those relievers — after racking up so many innings to win all these close games — continue to get the job done against the Dodgers in the World Series?
No disrespect to the best hitters in Kansas City and Cleveland’s lineups. Those teams hung with the Yankees every game. But Los Angeles’ batting order is another animal. It’s Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and more. That lane in L.A.’s lineup won’t be easy to navigate.
Yankees’ starting pitchers can set the tone and the offense can put the bullpen in a position to succeed, but if the World Series is anything like some of the other playoff games the Yankees have played so far, every reliever will need to bring their best.
That’s nice. And if the AL is better so be it. Color me NL arrogant. We have lost like 35 straight all star games and I still think we are better