Bronx Bomber Ball

As I watched Todd Frazier showcase some heads up base running skills by coming around to score from first base on Brett Gardner's ninth inning single it finally hit me. The Yankees were going to defeat the mighty Cleveland Indians and advance to the ALCS for the first time since 2012. The same New York Yankees who hit rock bottom after an absolutely crushing game two defeat in the same ballpark had somehow managed to string together an improbable comeback, winning three straight elimination games. As an eternal pessimist and current law student, I thought the Yankees fate was sealed once Joe Girardi had the managing blunder of a lifetime. Needless to say, I'm ecstatic to see that the Bombers have proven me wrong. Photo Credit: J. Conrad Williams, Jr.

The Yankees limped their way back to New York after a gut-wrenching game two loss, facing a seemingly insurmountable 2-0 hole to the probably the best and hottest team in baseball. It was almost a foregone conclusion that the season was over for the Bombers, but after two great wins at home, the Yanks headed back to Cleveland to face AL Cy Young favorite Corey Kluber and the Indians again. The Yankees were able to shut down the Indians to just two runs, while Didi Gregorius and Brett Gardner were able to provide five runs to send New York back to the ALCS for the first time since 2012. AP

Going into the playoffs, there wasn’t a clear designated hitter for the Yankees. The lineup was set for the most part but the DH spot was up for grabs. So far, Joe Girardi has tried a combination of Jacoby Ellsbury and Chase Headley. However, both haven’t produced to expectations. Headley has gone 0-10 dating back to the beginning of the ALDS and Ellsbury has gone 0-8 dating back to the wild card game. The Cleveland Indians have dominated both hitters this series. There needs to be a change if the Yankees want to keep their postseason alive in 2017. There are a few options on the bench, but the Yankees should turn to the veteran Matt Holliday in game five.  Photo Credit: Elsa/Getty Images

As I sat down to write this piece on Friday night, CC Sabathia had just put the Yankees on his back in Game 2 of the American League Division Series against Cleveland, outdueling Cy Young favorite Corey Kluber.  The Yankees held an 8-3 lead and looked well on their way to pulling out a massive win on the road and gaining control against the heavily favored Indians.  You had the sense that Sabathia had much still to give and that he would assuredly take the mound again for the Yankees in 2017. Fast forward an hour or so, and it all fell apart.  After a questionably quick hook from Yankees’ manager Joe Girardi, the vaunted New York bullpen coughed up the five-run lead and the Yankees ultimately fell in 13 innings by a score of 9-8.  The season was on the brink, and serious questions arose whether CC would ever pitch again as a member of the Yankees. Photo Credit: David Dermer/AP Photo

The Yankees came into game three of the ALDS off a devastating game two loss that featured blowing an 8-3 lead and losing in 13 innings. Down 2-0 in the series as it shifted to the Bronx, Masahiro Tanaka got the ball in his biggest start of his career. Tanaka owned up to the challenge tossing seven brilliant shutout innings with seven strikeouts. The Yankees were boosted by a home run robbery by Aaron Judge to take a two-run homer away from Francisco Lindor in a scoreless game in the sixth inning. From there, Greg Bird launched a solo homer off Andrew Miller to propel the Yankees to a 1-0 victory.   Photo Credit: Anthony Grupposo | AP

The Yankees were nearly downed early in the Wild Card game after a disastrous start by Luis Severino, however, the bullpen and lineup both stepped up in a major way, and punched a ticket for the Yanks to the ALDS, where they will face the team who had the best record in baseball during the regular season: the Cleveland Indians. The Indians were having a stellar season, until it turned in to an incredible season when they won 22 consecutive games and 27 of 28 from late August to mid September, a run that was the talk of the baseball world.  The Indians have cooled down a bit since then, yet still won 102 games, and are attempting to repeat as American League champs, and should feel confident facing the Yankees, as they were 5-2 in the regular season against the Bombers. The Yankees themselves should head into this series with a ton of confidence, as they are a team full of inexperienced budding stars with close to nothing to lose. This will be the fourth time in baseball history t...