Yankee Takes a Ball in the Groin, Pitcher and Every Man Feels His Pain

The Yankees beat the Twins during the AL wild-card game Tuesday. According to The Ringer, little went according to plan, but “everything went as expected.” It also allowed fans who maybe haven’t been keeping tabs on the Yankees to see why they are such a “scary October team.”

The Yankees were projected to win over the Twins, since Minnesota finished with the worst record and run differential of any playoff club this season, according to The Ringer. Meanwhile, the Yankees had the best run differential of any club except the Indians, and also had a superior pitcher over the Twins.

Ultimately, no one was surprised when the Yankees beat out the Twins in nearly four-hour long game. But The Ringer writes that there were some surprising factors to the game. First off, the decision by Minnesota manager Paul Molitor to start Ervin Santana over José Berrios. On the Yankees side, some suggested that the team should “leverage the second half’s MLB-best bullpen for all it was worth” which would mean starting reliever Chad Green. But according to The Ringer, Yankees manager Joe Girardi did not want to disrupt his team’s routine, so much so that instead of a pep talk, he have a short speech on Sunday, saying “treat (Tuesday) like any other game,”

The full Sanchez tip and Robertson reaction pic.twitter.com/DGdHMUH0Gn

— That Dude (@cjzer0) October 4, 2017

In total there were nine pitching changes and fiver homers. There was a beautiful catch by Byron Buxton, a Did Gregorius homer to tie it up in the first, and eventually became the game many people hoped for: Berrios vs. the bullpen, writes The Ringer.

Byron Buxton is the most electrifying defender in baseball. pic.twitter.com/Rdx9eqd2Qi

— Holden Kushner (@Holdenradio) October 4, 2017

The Ringer writes that it’s not that the Yankees can’t be beaten, but they are just very constructed. Their line-up is the most home-run oriented of any of the playoff team’s, which means they’ll do well in October’s “extra-all-or-nothing environment.”