Bronx Bomber Ball

The best news surrounding the American League Division Series, at least for the Yankees, is that they will be heading right out of the metaphorical gate at Yankee Stadium.   Oh, and that if they are forced to head to a Game Five with the Minnesota Twins when vying for a ticket to the American League Championship Series, they will be able to play that important fifth game at home as well.   Out of the 103 wins recorded in the regular season for the Savages, 57 of them came in the Bronx.   What’s more, out of their 59 regular-season losses, they only lost at home 24 times.   That’s it.   Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Wow. In a season where playoff contention was extremely unlikely, the Yankees are moving on to play for the American League pennant. While the first two games produced a few astronomical lows, the remaining games of the series were filled with excitement and historical moments.  Photo Credit: Getty Images

The Yankees looked to keep their season alive Monday night for game 4 of the ALDS in the Bronx.  It was Luis Severino going to the bump facing off against game one star Trevor Bauer.  Severino was in pursuit of a bounce back start after only getting one out and allowing three earned runs in the Wild Card game last Tuesday against Minnesota, and he did just that.  Severino responded with an absolute gem, going 7.0 IP, with only 4 H, 3 ER, 1BB, and 9K, in the 7-3 win.  The bats also came to life again in game four, putting up seven runs and building up momentum into Cleveland on Wednesday.   The Yankees are now 3-0 in elimination games in the playoffs. Photo Credit: Kathy Willens | AP

“Coming soon....” This was the caption of an Instagram post that was posted by the 24-year-old Yankee first baseman on August 15 of the 2017 season. What was coming soon?   Well, Bird who put on an absolute monstrous preview in Spring Training with eight home runs and a 1.654 OPS was determined to come back and help his team compete in what was a dreadful start to his 2017 regular season. And on a Sunday night in the Bronx, on the national stage, in a tied, scoreless elimination game, Greg Bird hit the biggest home run of his life off one of the best left-handed relievers in the sport. Photo Credit: Kathy Willens | AP

After being heavily favored in their first playoff game of 2017, the Yankees got the job done on Tuesday night in the Bronx by defeating the Twins rather smoothly in an 8-4 fashion. However, they now come into Cleveland as obvious underdogs and are facing a much stronger opponent in the Cleveland Indians. The Indians were the American League’s best team with a 102-60 record and a magical run of 22 consecutive victories. They succeeded in doing so due to their talented roster. The Yankees may have momentum on their side and a young dynamic team, but the Indians are a daunting task for the Wild Card champions. Here is a position breakdown of the two teams:   Photo Credit: David Dermer | AP

Update: CC Sabathia will pitch game two and Masahiro Tanaka will have the ball for game three. Luis Severino has reportedly been penciled in to start game four of the ALDS at Yankee Stadium if necessary. He will not be used out of the bullpen. Original Story Below: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- While a less than ideal start to the Yankee’s wild card game occurred on Tuesday, the young group managed to pull together and get the job done to advance to the ALDS against the Cleveland Indians. Unfortunately, Luis Severino was the reason for the rough start, and now presents the Yankees with more questions than answers for their ace. Photo Credit: Kathy Willens | AP Severino only managed one out in his first playoff game, and surrendered two home runs to quickly silence the crowd in the Bronx. He simply did not have his best stuff on the mound, getting behi...