Order up the agita.
Fire up the bloodstreams.
The Yankees and the Rays are taking their blood fight on the road, taking it to sleepy, seaside San Diego. However dont be deceived. Well be able to feel the distaste from here. Well be able to sense the mutual contempt. We are about to use and overuse the single greatest term in all of sports:
We have Yankees-Rays.
The Rays cruised there, outclassing the Blue Jays on back-to-back nights in the relaxing confines of Tropicana Field. The Yankees had to squirm to arrive, recovering from a four-run deficit early and a one-run hole late, blowing 2 two-run leads in between, but when they lastly polished off the Indians, 10-9, just past 1 oclock Thursday early morning, we had what we have actually desired all year.
We have Rays-Yankees.
” These two teams do … not … like each other!”
We have a best-of-five ALDS at neutral-site Petco Park, with all the baggage these 2 AL East competitors have put together throughout the previous few years. You may remember that the last time these 2 gathered in the very same ballpark, it was Yankee Stadium a couple of weeks back, and Aroldis Chapman had actually buzzed Mike Brousseaus tower, and it moved Kevin Cash, Rays supervisor, to make this happy observation:
Its been too long given that we have had this. You truly require to return to the teeth of the Yankees-Red Sox competition in 2003 and 2004, when they would throw at each other and curse at each other and step to each other and, once, memorably, end up in hand-to-hand dispute with each other.
” That video game,” Boone said, “was a lot of fun to be a part of.”
The Yankees and the Rays do not have quite that sort of animus since they have not inhabited each others airspace for almost as long. It still ought to be something to behold. The Rays were the better group over 60 video games. The Yankees just require to be the better group over five.
You believe that was fun? Just wait. Farewell to Cleveland, which got a head start on a 73rd year without a championship. Hey There, San Diego. Hi, Tampa Bay. Time for some more enjoyable.
Triggers will fly when the Yankees and Rays take on in the ALDS.AP” I have an entire bleepin stable of guys that toss 98. Duration.”
The Indians came back, two times, and then took a 9-8 lead in the eighth, and they seemed identified to buy one more day of baseball season. Gary Sanchez connected the video game with a sac fly. DJ LeMahieu– of course– pushed a 40-hopper into center field to put the Yankees ahead.
DJ LeMahieu– of course– pushed a 40-hopper into center field to put the Yankees ahead.
Oh, yeah. Its on like Donkey Kong.
” Theyve been the best team in our league all year, so were excited to play the best group and ideally have our method with them this time,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone stated. “We understand theyll be ready for us, however we anticipate that difficulty and hopefully we can turn the tables on them.”
Urshela has nine hard years in the Indians system on his irreversible record, and in none of those nine did he even remotely resemble the gamer hes remained in two years as a Yankee. He blasted a ball well over the left-center field wall for a grand slam, and 0-4 down had actually ended up being 5-4 up, and even in an empty ballpark without fans to provide a killing groan that appeared like enough to settle matters.
Cleveland got rid of a night stuffed with Gerrit Cole splendor by drilling Masahiro Tanaka for those four first-inning runs, and Tanaka appeared he had to do with a pitch or more from needing an awfully early hook. He recovered. So did the Yankees.
The Tribe then wasted that early cushion in large part since a kid from the northern New York suburbs, James Karinchak, could not slip a sinking fastball past Gio Urshela. Karinchak has the repertoire and the look– and the consistent number, 99– of a past (imaginary) Indians pitcher, Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn.
They were the better group, hardly, Wednesday night and Thursday morning. If Game 1 of this best-of-three AL Wild Card Series had been an artless, one-sided spanking, Game 2 was something else altogether, with a cast-of-thousands cavalcade of seize-the-moment stars.
The Yankees and the Rays are taking their blood fight on the roadway, taking it to sleepy, seaside San Diego. The Yankees and the Rays do not have rather that kind of animus because they have not inhabited each others airspace for nearly as long. The Yankees only require to be the much better team over five.
Did the Yankees.
