NFL
By: Billy Lewis
The New York Yankees are coming off a Wild Card Game victory over the Minnesota Twins. Luis Severino was only able to get one out in the first and the Twins jumped on him for three runs. Luckily for the Yanks, Chad Green came in and got the final two outs and kept the Twins at three.
After a nightmare start to the game, the Yankees were effectively able to hit the reset button. Didi Gregorius stepped to the plate as the tying run in the bottom of the first and deposited a three-run homer into the right-field seats. The Yankees tied the game at three, and their fans were able to breathe a sigh of relief.
The Bronx Bombers lived up to their nickname Tuesday night. Along with Gregorius, Brett Gardner and Aaron Judge added home runs of their own. Gardner’s was a revenge shot after Ervin Santana buzzed him up and in with a 2-2 pitch. Gardy took the next pitch into the second deck in right. Judge continues his amazing rookie campaign, this time hitting an absolute laser into left field.
The Yankees were able to move on despite the nightmare beginning. The bullpen came in and was lights out. Yankee relievers were tasked with limiting the damage and getting the final 26 outs. They came through swimmingly and the Yankees will advance to play the Cleveland Indians in the American League Division Series.
The Yankees have been a fun team to watch all year, and now its time to enjoy the ride. Can they win the World Series? Absolutely. They also may fall to the Indians in the ALDS. The one certain thing is that the Yankees are guaranteed at least three more games this season. At the beginning of the season, the playoffs were considered a dream. They were going to rely on young players, and nobody could be sure how they would respond.
It turned into a record-breaking 2017 for the Yankees. Aaron Judge set the rookie home run record (52), Gary Sanchez set the Yankee catcher home run record (33), and Didi Gregorius set the Yankee shortstop record for home runs (25). The Yankees were able to rebuild in all of two months and find themselves in a playoff series for the first time since the 2012 American League Championship Series.
The Yankees business model is usually “World Series or bust.” While this team has the potential to win the World Series, 2017 has already been a success. The team entered Spring Training with many question marks and almost all have been turned to exclamation points. The Yankees are having fun in the dugout and on the field, and we’re hoping the fun continues for a few more weeks.
