In second game of the 2017 American League Division series, Yankees manager Joe Girardi made some questionable mistakes. It looked like it was supposed to be a pitching duel with Cy Young front runner Corey Kluber against postseason veteran CC Sabathia. Kluber fell apart giving up six earned runs. By the sixth inning, the Yankees were up 8-3. With two runners on and one out, Girardi brings in Chad Green to face Lonnie Chisenhall. CC was over 70 pitches, but clearly still had gas in the tank and wanted to stay in the game. Green, with a two strike count, supposedly hit Chisenhall. The ball clearly hit the bat and went into catcher Gary Sanchez’s glove. Sanchez and Chase Headley were yelling at their skipper to challenge the play, but he did not. If he did, the pitch would be void and redone. Because of Girardi’s hesitance, Chisenhall was awarded first base. Now, Lindor comes up, hits a grand slam, and now it’s a one run game.David Robertson comes in, who pitched 3.1 innings in the Wild Card game, a career most. He gives up the game tying home run to Jay Bruce. Girardi later brings in Chapman, who pitchers 2+ innings, and Dellin Betances, who blows the game, with 2+ innings of work. Such use of relievers in the playoffs has been proved not good as shown in Aroldis Chapman’s arm discomfort in the 2016 World Series. If Girardi keeps on messing up these crucial games, his career as Yankees manager is in danger.
Day: October 8, 2017
2017 AL MVP Report
As the 2017 regular season came to an end, the American League MVP race has really tightened up. Mike Trout, who was down 48 games with a thumb injury, was still able to put up unbelievable numbers in a short amount of time. Jose Altuve once again impressed us with yet another 200 hit season and 30 stolen base season. Among the surprises include Aaron Judge who broke the rookie record for home runs and walks, and Jose Ramirez, Cleveland’s super utility man. Trout supplied the best percentage numbers by leading the AL in OPS, OBP, and slugging. He was also among Joey Votto and Anthony Rizzo as the only men in baseball with more walks than strikeouts (min. 100 games). Despite his final stats, Aaron Judge had a mid season streak that lasted 45 games with a sub .200 batting average and only 7 home runs. This greatly impacted his overall average which went from .329 at the All Star break to .284 at the end of the season. Jose Ramirez’s versatility makes him a valuable asset to the Indians, but his 29 home runs and league leading 56 doubles were only a bonus. His OBP and OPS were down compared to the others. Jose Altuve looks like the best bet for MVP as his hits, stolen bases, and consistency were on point for the entire length of the regular season.
Stats: ESPN and MLB.com
2017 MVP Race Breakdown: Trout, Judge, Altuve, and Ramirez BREAKDOWN
Stats | Mike Trout | Aaron Judge | Jose Altuve | Jose Ramirez |
Games | 114 | 155 | 153 | 152 |
At Bats | 402 | 542 | 590 | 585 |
Hits | 123 | 154 | 204 | 186 |
Doubles | 25 | 24 | 39 | 56 |
Triples | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
Home Runs | 33 | 52 | 24 | 29 |
RBIs | 72 | 114 | 81 | 83 |
Runs | 92 | 128 | 112 | 107 |
Stolen Bases | 22 | 9 | 32 | 17 |
OBP | .442 | .422 | .410 | 0.374 |
OPS | 1.071 | 1.049 | .957 | .957 |
Slugging | .629 | .627 | .547 | .583 |
WAR | 6.4 | 8.8 | 7.9 | 6.3 |
Strikeouts | 90 | 208 | 84 | 69 |
Walks | 94 | 127 | 58 | 52 |
All Star | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |