Game 4: Yankees Finally Show Up

Well, look who finally decided to show up at the World Series: The Yankees.

After yet another home run by Freddie Freeman put them in a 2-0 hole before they could even come to bat, it looked like the Los Angeles Dodgers would complete the sweep last night. But a funny thing happened on the way to that happening: It didn't.

In the bottom of the 1st, Gleyber Torres hit a drive down the right-field line. Mookie Betts reached over the fence to catch it, and did -- but a fan reached over and pulled the ball out of his glove. And that fan was assisted by another. They were thrown out of the Stadium, and have been banned from attending Game 5. As of this writing, no decision had been announced covering them thereafter. The umpires ruled fan interference, and Torres was out, which he would have been, anyway.

That was an ugly moment. But the Yankees and their fans were hanging on another ugly moment: The only comeback from three games to none in a postseason baseball series, when the Boston Red Sox cheated their way to victory over the Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship Series. Despite the Yankees taking the 1st 3 games, winning 19-8 in Game 3, Kevin Millar told the media, "Don't let us win tonight." But the Red Sox did win that night. And the next. And the next. And the next.

The idea that the Yankees, who had scored 7 runs in the 1st 29 innings of the Series, could score enough runs to beat the Dodgers 4 times in a row was ridiculous. They got a run on a groundout in the bottom of the 2nd to make it 2-1 Los Angeles. But going into the bottom of the 3rd, it was still looking like a sweep, by a Dodger team who, aside from Freeman, wasn't hitting a whole lot better.

But the Yankees loaded the bases in the bottom of the 3rd, and Anthony Volpe, born in Manhattan, grew up in Watchung, Somerset County, New Jersey, graduated from The Delbarton School, a Catholic prep school in Morristown, New Jersey, and attendee of the 2009 World Championship parade at the age of 8, fulfilled part of the dream by hitting a grand slam home run. Yankees 5, Dodgers 2.

But in the 5th, Will Smith hit a home run, and Freeman had another RBI. The Dodgers were within 5-4. Was this part of a terrible one-game collapse? No: Austin Wells hit one out in the bottom of the 6th. In the 8th, Verdugo, as he had in the 2nd, brought a run home on a groundout. Then Torres hit a home run.

Aaron Judge had reached base 3 times -- without a hit: He drew 2 walks and was hit with a pitch. Finally, later in the 8th, he singled Juan Soto home. Final score: Yankees 11, Dodgers 4.

Luis Gil started, but allowed 4 runs in 4 innings. Tim Hill got 2 outs in the 5th, Clay Holmes got the last in the 5th and all of the 6th to end up as the winning pitcher, Mark Leiter Jr. got 2 outs in the 7th, Luke Weaver got the last in the 7th and all of the 8th, and Tim Mayza pitched the 9th. Between them, the bullpen went 5 innings, no runs, 1 hit (Hill), 1 walk (Leiter), and 7 strikeouts.

As for the offense: 7 runs in 29 innings, followed by 11 runs 7 innings. I've said it many times over the last few years, echoing the line from the TV game show To Tell the Truth: "Will the real New York Yankees please stand up?"

"Don't let us win tonight." Is this the start of the 1st genuine 3-0 postseason comeback? Game 5 is tonight, at 8:00. Gerrit Cole starts against Jack Flaherty. If Cole is on his game, and the Yankees get the runs again, we go to a Game 6 in Los Angeles on Friday night. Game 7 would be in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

Impossible? No. Highly unlikely? The Yankees, especially in the postseason, have done many unlikely things. We shall see.

Is the Big Choke Underway?

For about a week now, or perhaps even a month, going back to the London Series against these same Boston Red Sox, the Yankees have not been getting good starting pitching, even when they won.

Last night, at Fenway Park, it was James Paxton's turn to get rocked early. His control was good: He threw 67 of his 99 pitches for strikes . But it took him only 4 innings to throw those 99 pitches, and he gave up 7 runs.

This included 3 home runs by Mookie Betts. The Red Sox' Twitter account was talking about the fact that their team has never had a 4-homwr game, and that this could be it, because they had 4 innings to go. (They wouldn't be batting in the bottom of the 9th.)

It didn't happen, because the Yankees' bullpen wasn't as bad. But any loss to the Red Sox is bad enough. I don't care if it's 19-3, like it was the night before, or 19-18, or 1-0. It still counts as a loss, and I do not want to lose, especially to The Scum.

David Hale allowed 3 more runs, before Adam Ottavino and Zack Britton calmed things down. It may have made a difference after all, because the Yankee bats eventually got going, too little, too late.

A Luke Voit single drove home a run, to get the Yankees on the board in the 6th. They got two more runs in the seventh, including one on a single by Austin Romine, normally the team's backup catcher, starting in place of the injured Gary Sanchez, and, sad to say, the previous night's best Yankee pitcher.

They went into the 9th down 10-3. Mike Tauchman led off with a single. Romine doubled him home. They each had 3 hits. DJ LeMahieu drew a walk. Xander Bogaerts mishandled a grounder by Aaron Judge.

Suddenly, the bases were loaded with nobody out. The next 3 batters were Edwin Encarnación, Didi Gregorius and Voit. Red Sox fans were tweeting about the possibility of blowing the game. Apparently, the 4 World Championships their team has cheated its way to hasn't healed the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) they got from 2003, 1999, 1986, 1978, depending on how far back they go.

Encarnación flew out to right, and it was too close to score Romine. Gregorius flew out to left, and that got Romine home. And Voit grounded into a fielder's choice to end it.

Red Sox 10, Yankees 5. WP: Andrew Cashner (10-5). No save. LP: Paxton (5-6).

I don't know about you, but I'm starting to get nervous about the Yankees' starting pitching. Nobody is looking particularly good. The lead in the American League Eastern Division has dropped to 8 1/2 games over the Tampa Bay Rays, and 9 games over the Red Sox.

Is the Big Choke underway? On August 2, 2015, the Yankees were 6 games up, and finished 6 games back. On July 18, 2012, the Yankees were 10 games up, and were still 8 1/2 up as late as July 28, but got tied for 1st place on September 4, before finishing 1st by 2 games. In 2010, the Yankees were 4 games up on July 23, fell out of 1st on August 2, were 2 1/2 games up as late as September 21, were tied going into the last day, October 3, and finished a game out.

And, all 3 times, the Yankees had better starting pitching than they do now.

"Pitching is 75 percent of baseball." -- Connie Mack
"Connie Mack lied." -- Billy Martin
"Shut up, Billy." -- Uncle Mike

The trading deadline is now 4 days away, and Brian Cashman's history of trade deadline deals -- the ones he's made, and the ones he's refused to make -- suggests that we are not going to win the Division after all, much less the Pennant and the World Series.

The series continues this afternoon, at 4:05. CC Sabathia, who also hasn't looked good in this, his final season, starts against Eduardo Rodriguez.