The Yankees started the 2nd half of the season with that lockout-rescheduled doubleheader against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park, and the 2nd game was an even bigger disaster than the 1st game.
Looking at the scoreboard, you might not think it was a disaster. At this point, any loss to the Astros has to be considered a disaster. And this was a self-inflicted one.
Domingo Germán came off the Injured List, allegedly ready to make his 1st start of the season. Instead of saving him for this weekend's series against the considerably easier Baltimore orioles, Aaron Boone -- or, perhaps, Brian Cashman -- chose to throw him to the wolves in Houston. And he had absolutely nothing, going only 3 innings. The Yankees were down 5-0 after 2. A Gleyber Torres home run helped, but, again, the team as a whole simply couldn't hit the Astros.
Aaron Judge had a massive home run onto the railroad tracks above left field in the 9th inning, but the Yankees couldn't get any closer. Astros 7, Yankees 5. WP: Luis Garcia (8-5). SV: Rafael Montero (7). LP: Germán (0-1).
Once again, the Astros are the new Red Sox: They cheat, they mostly get away with it, they're in the Yankees' heads, and they have a stupid CITGO sign above their too-close left field wall. And their fans have become really arrogant, believing that they've earned everything that they've actually stolen.
The only notable differences are a retractable roof, and a stupid Southern accent instead of a stupid New England accent. And while José Altuve has become their diminutive, skinny version of David Ortiz, they don't have a Ted Williams in their history. The closest they come is 1/3rd of Nolan Ryan's career.
Due to the nature of the schedule, this was the Yankees' last regular-season game against the Astros. Therefore, this was their last real test of the regular season, and they failed it. Or, if you prefer, they got all A's up until now, but failed the midterm exam.
Therefore, it doesn't matter what they do in the rest of the regular season: The Texas-sized cloud over them will still be over them as the Playoffs start. And we cannot be confident that they'll do anything in the postseason, unless and until they beat the Astros. As much fun as the 1st half was, the 2nd half is going to be long, and any victory will feel pretty much meaningless.
The questions remain and I don't think we're going to like the answers. It may be that, like the 2000 Mets with the Atlanta Braves, our only hope is that somebody will beat the Astros before we have to play them.
1 comment:
That or the postseason ends with different result if we meet again, like how the Cardinals owning the Nats in 2019 only to get swept by them later in the NLCS. Granted the problem is that the Astros aren't the Cardinals however and the key is likely pitching in the end, just hope the offense won't treat all of them like Jordan Montgomery.
With blown opportunity being had, it's easy to become like Randy Quaid's character in Major League 2.
Speaking of someone else beating the Astros in the postseason, truth to be told back in 2001 I was hoping the Indians would take out the Mariners in the ALDS. To think the near defeat against the Indians was actually an early sign that things won't go well for the Mariners.
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