About Yesterday Afternoon: The Yankees Beat the Blue Jays 8-3
By Time Kabel
April 8, 2024
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The Yankees bounced back after Friday's lackluster performance to win two of three games against the Blue Jays. They are now 8-2 to start the season and are tied with, of all teams, the Pittsburgh Pirates, for the best record in Baseball. It is early but, they have won three series against three very good teams. It is a great way to start the year. In the grand scheme of things, it may not mean anything, but a good start is better than a bad start. It is better to win games now than to have to try to scramble to win games at the end of the year just to make the playoffs. Early wins are like money in the bank.
Quick Stats –
· The Yankees have won their first three series in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 162-game season began in 1961.
· Giancarlo Stanton has hit home runs in consecutive games for the first time since he did it in three games in a row last August 2-4. He must have read what I wrote about him batting 10th in the lineup after Friday's game.
· Anthony Volpe is batting .424 for the season. It is very early, but you have to like what you are seeing from him so far. He seems committed to improving himself from last year, which will only benefit the Yankees.
· In a clear violation of the ban I issued on Saturday, John Flaherty stated that the Yankees “have won every series this season.” There have only been three series. Let's hold our horses for a moment.
· After today's game, the Yankees will have played games this season on days when there has been an earthquake and a solar eclipse. I will soon be buying my tickets for “Swarm of Locusts Day.”
· Gerrit Cole will reportedly begin throwing this week, which, if all goes well, is an extremely positive sign.
Big Story –
The Yankees opened the season with series against their arch nemesis, the Astros, last year's National League Champions, the Diamondbacks, and their division rivals, the Blue Jays. The Yankees are without their best pitcher and their starting third baseman. They are 8-2 after their first 10 games and are tied for the best record in Major League Baseball. If they had gotten off to a slow start, we would have been able to rationalize it based on their injuries and the schedule. They didn't. There are many good signs and reasons for optimism regarding this team.
Players of the Game –
Giancarlo Stanton hit a Grand Slam and has three home runs so far this season. Yes, he did strike out twice, but that's never going to change. If he can be a dangerous hitter in the middle of the lineup who can hit a lot of home runs, that is more than enough. He just cannot disappear as he has in the past.
Anthony Volpe had three more hits, two stolen bases, and scored two runs. He is currently leading the league in batting average.
Notable Performance –
Oswaldo Cabrera was 1-3 with two runs scored, an RBI, and a walk. He is batting .333 for the season. His selective switch-hitting seems to be paying off.
Although Luis Gil only pitched 4.1 innings, he had eight strikeouts and was solid.
Better to Forget –
Alex Verdugo continued his offensive struggles, going 0-4 and is batting .143 for the season. He may be trying too hard.
My Take –
I am torn. I desperately want to be excited about this season for the New York Yankees. I want to believe that they will continue this hot start and win the American League East. Not only that, but I want to imagine them winning the American League Pennant and playing in the World Series. Furthermore, I want to feel confident that they can actually win the World Series this year.
There are a lot of positive signs. They are winning games without their best pitcher, who will be back. Their exciting young centerfielder will be back. DJ LeMahieu will be back, in what role I'm not sure, but he will help. Juan Soto has been as advertised. Anthony Volpe seems to have made tremendous improvement from last year and seems to be on the verge of becoming a two-way star. Oswaldo Cabrera has rediscovered his hitting stroke and is contributing. Even Giancarlo Stanton hit home runs in two consecutive games this weekend., including a grand slam yesterday.
I see all these signs and I want to believe. I start to get excited. Then, I see the closeup of the Yankees manager, blowing bubbles and staring off into space. I am immediately yanked back to reality. I firmly believe there is no way the Yankees will ever win the World Series with Aaron Boone as the manager. I have enough evidence to support that statement.
Being a Yankee fan with Aaron Boone as your manager is like being Charlie Brown attempting to kick the football. Aaron Boone is Lucy. Just when you finally believe that you can do it and that Boone-proofing will be successful, the manager will go and do something to cost a game or start a losing streak. Something bad will always happen. I have six years of proof staring me in the face.
There is no reason to believe the Yankees will win a World Series with Aaron Boone as the manager. He has never come close. He has never shown any sign of being even a marginally good manager. He is a steward. He is there just to hold the spot for someone who is a good manager. He is a placeholder. He is the Millard Fillmore or Chester A. Arthur of baseball managers.
Yet, despite knowing all that, despite believing very strongly in logic and common sense, I will go against all of those things, and I will be optimistic that somehow, some way, the Yankees will win the World Series. I will most likely be kicking myself in October but for now, I will buy in to this team. It's what you do when you are a fan.
Next Up –
Tonight, The Yankees open a three-game series against the Miami Marlins at 6:05 PM at Yankee Stadium. Nestor Cortes, (0-1,6.30 ERA) will face Miami’s Jesus Luizardo, (0-1, 4.36 ERA).
