Bronx Bomber Ball

The idea of Betances as a closer is a touchy subject. Yankees team president Randy Levine was critical of the star setup man and his agent after for what he described as a “half-baked attempt” to inflate the player’s value before the season. Betances, a three-time All-Star, lost a case for a $5 million arbitration deal and was instead awarded $3 million but the criticism didn’t end there. Photo via Sports Illustrated 

This past Saturday, the Yankees arbitration hearing with Dellin Betances was completed, with the arbiter ultimately ruling in favor of the Yankees, granting Betances a $3 million salary for 2017, not the $5 million he was seeking. Photo Credit: Charles Wenzelberg

This series possesses an interesting interleague matchup between the Yankees and San Francisco Giants. The Giants are currently battling for the best record in baseball, despite having been swept in the past two series against the Padres and Red Sox. Already having three World Series titles this decade, the Giants have continued their status as the best team in the 2010’s. On the other hand, the Yankees haven’t won one since 2009 and are likely not headed to this year’s postseason. Hovering around the .500 mark all season, the Yankees have come out of the All-Star break playing really good baseball. Despite the way they've played, they haven't gained much ground in the AL Wild Card race, still sitting 5.5 games behind the Blue Jays heading into Friday.