5 fan takes on the sorrows and joys of Yankees-Red Sox matchup
COMMENTARY: Hear from heartbroken Yankees fans, a New York hater and a genuine Red Sox fan (!) as they gush and vent about Tuesday’s Wild Card wild ride.
Photo courtesy of Tyler Hilton / Unsplash
BIG LOSS SHOWCASES BIG PROBLEM: Ugh. One word to describe the finish to the Yankees 2021 season. I just don’t understand this team at all anymore and how horribly inconsistent they are. Yes, the Yankees lost 6 to 2 to the Red Sox, but this loss is symbolic of a problem with the Yankees and their struggle to adapt to modern baseball. Look, love them or hate them, analytics are important to the construction and implementation of a roster to plan for a successful baseball team. It’s no coincidence that the Red Sox and Rays both make the divisional series, while the Yankees get sent packing for another year.
What went wrong with the Yankees in this strange season was everything. The rotation, bullpen, and hitting never found continuity aside from a 13 game win streak where they played smart and fun baseball. But that all seems distant now. In this game, it just so happened that the “ace pitcher” the Yankees paid $324 million over nine years for played like a bonafide scrub, and the offense was silenced by Nate Eovaldi.
What’s next for the team with the second highest payroll? Likely, manager Aaron Boone is gone and they will shell out the piggy bank to sign one of the two premier pitchers on the market in Max Scherzer or Justin Verlander, without addressing the fundamentally broken philosophy of playing true-three-outcome baseball.
Just remember, for fans of the 29 other teams in the MLB, the world wins when DAAAA YANKEES LOOOOSSSEEEE. –Curran Rastogi, Managing Editor
YANKS’ POSTSEASON LOSS FUELS HATERS: During the final stretch of the MLB regular season the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox met for a three game set in Boston. Fueled by a heroic effort from Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees swept the Red Sox setting themselves up for a playoff appearance. To my pleasure, this quest for ring No. 28 was over before it even started, because the Red Sox know how to win when it matters.
As an avid New York Yankees hater, the Tuesday night game was a very entertaining one for me. On this magical October night, I stood with Nathan Eovaldi and the Boston Red Sox because there is nothing more that disgusts me than having to listen to Yankees fans talk about their team.
Gerrit Cole proved himself as a scam artist, robbing the Yankees of $300 million as he got shelled early and removed after just recording six outs. Quite frankly, I would have put up better results on the mound for the Yankees. I hope that the Yankees had fun watching a real baseball team, the Boston Red Sox, perform on the big stage. –Paul Gustafson, Digital Director
FOR RED SOX FANS, LOYALTY REWARDED: Since my dad is from Massachusetts, my brothers and I are obviously Red Sox fans. My mom is the lone Yankees fan. Watching the games together is always … entertaining.
In the first inning, Stanton’s hit made my mom so excited, but I had faith in the Monster that it would bounce off, which it did. His single was a sigh of relief for us, but anger for her. Bogaerts’s two-run homer to dead center in the first sent a wave of cheers and ridicule to my mom. Schwarber’s solo homer down the pathway in right was a loud moment in my household.
When the Yankees got on the board in the sixth with Rizzo’s solo dinger, my mom had some hope, but not much. Eovaldi’s eight strikeouts were outstanding. He was so dialed in. Judge getting tagged out running home on Stanton’s hit was the highlight of the game. Verdugo’s RBI in the sixth to the corner of right was spectacular since it put the Sox up by three. Again, Verdugo was spectacular with his two run hit in the seventh, putting the Sox up by five!
In the ninth, it was about time Stanton hit his home run like Rizzo’s that snuck by the Pesky Pole (which I have signed). Renfroe catching Torres’ high fly ball in right to end the game put the biggest smile on my face and frown on my moms. Such a great game, and the Sox really showed up and deserved to win. –Emily Smith, contributor
DISAPPOINTMENT COLORS YANKEES’ ELIMINATION: The most historic rivalry in sports faced off in the playoffs, and other than utter disappointment, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox delivered yet another classic. The narratives driving this game forward fulfilled themselves.
Gerrit Cole once again implodes in the playoffs, his outing ending short to the long balls of Xander Bogaerts and Kyle Schwarber. The Yankees’ coaching staff went to shreds this game with constant managerial mistakes. For example, sending Judge home with one out on the Stanton double. The Yankees’ bats went dead, despite Giancaro Stanton’s three hit game, and Anthony Rizzo’s homer. Topped off with Alex Verdugo’s clutch RBIs and Boston’s bullpen playing up, Boston had a fun time Tuesday.
The Red Sox play the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS, who they have struggled against this season; I expect a dominant performance from the Rays, winning in 4. –J.J. Rella, Apprentice
ELIMINATION LEAVES QUESTIONS IN FANS’ MINDS: It was all on the line for both teams. As a Yankees fan, I was very excited and nervous about this game. When the game started in the top of the 1st, Giancarlo Stanton hit a single at top of the Green Monster that everyone thought was a homer … but was not.
Then in the bottom of that inning Red Sox All-Star shortstop Xander Bodgerts hit a two-run shot to center field off of Cy Young favorite Garrett Cole. But Cole still had a home run to give out that night — to Kyle Schwarber, making the lead 3-0 Boston.
Throughout the game, the Yankees had little to no momentum. Sadly, they were the little brother of the Red Sox that night. This one was my personal least favorite game as a Yankees fan that I have ever watched.
Now, as Yankees fans, we say to themselves, “Is Boone done? Is the Gardy party over?” and other questions roll through our minds. But all we can say to ourselves now is … let’s go, Rays! –Sam Prince, contributor
