New York Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes. (Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports)
The Yankees have only played two games in the playoffs this year but fans are already seeing the same old patterns emerging after a loss to Cleveland.
During the broadcast of the Yankees‘ Game 2 loss to the Guardians in the ALDS, Bob Costas looked at a young New York fan and said this was probably the worst thing that’s happened to him in his young life. But not to worry, the series isn’t over yet.
Older and wiser Yankees fans know that the worst is probably yet to come. They’ve watched their team fall flat on their face in the playoffs one too many times to be under the delusion that it couldn’t happen again this season.
So even though the series is tied at 1-1, even though the Yankees are far from out of it, a lot of fans are still bracing for impact, especially with the series heading to Cleveland.
The problem? An offense that should be high-powered continually falling short in the big moments.
Yankees Twitter blames the offense for loss to Guardians
Obviously, one game isn’t a big enough sample size to say the New York offense will definitely sink the team’s playoff hopes. They scored four runs in the Game 1 victory. The bats could get going again as the weekend continues.
It’s just concerning when the offense has let them down consistently over the years despite all the investment and productivity seen during the regular season.
Watching Aaron Judge hit 62 home runs is meaningless if he goes 0-for-5 with four strikeouts in a critical playoff appearance. He’s struck out eight times already in just two games.