ALL EVEN
Judge, Severino force do-or-die Game 5 as series returns to Cleve.
It is a long way from Friday night, when Joe Girardi became Public Enemy No. 1 amongst his own fan base, or even Sunday evening, when fans tried to boo the manager clear out of the Bronx. The Yankees have knocked the invincibility out of the mighty Indians with two straight wins, and if they’re on any type of redemption mission for their manager, well, they’re one huge Game 5 away from completely taking him off the hook.
Don’t think Girardi doesn’t appreciate it, either. He choked up in the interview room after Monday night’s 7-3 win, tears welling in his eyes as he tried to explain his emotions now that his team has rallied to even this ALDS at 2-2.
“It’s as difficult a loss as I’ve had as a manager,’’ he said of Game 2. “And it’s difficult because I care so much. And it’s not caring about myself. It’s caring about everyone else that is involved and wrapped up in Yankee baseball.”
This is where Girardi became emotional, seemingly at least partly in
appreciation of the way his players have responded when he was at his lowest point.
“Whether it’s the fans, the front office, the owner, the players, the trainers, the support staff, the coaches. I really care. And, you know, we’ve gotten it back to 2-2 and we’ve got a shot now.
“So it’s a totally different feeling than the other day, and these guys have picked me up.”
Of course, if the Yankees don’t finish it off, this comeback might always hang over Girardi as well, since you can make the case this series could be over if not for the now-infamous non-challenge in Game 2. They have the tallest order ahead of them, facing Corey Kluber in Game 5, but knocking him around in Game 2 takes away some of the mystique about him, and for that matter, the Yankees are riding a wave of confidence, playing inspired baseball for weeks that now includes winning three elimination games in October. All of that said, it’s fair to ask if the Indians are cracking a bit under the pressure of trying to close out a series and validate their spectacular regular season.
For while Luis Severino bounced back from his disastrous wild-card start to deliver seven strong innings and be serenaded to the dugout by the Stadium crowd chanting his name, adding to the redemption theme, the Indians sure didn’t look like a team that set an American League record by winning 22 straight games in August and September — and finished the season on a 33-4 roll.
Defense is one of their strengths, yet they made four errors in this game,
two by their sensational third baseman, Giovanny Urshela, who only plays because his glove is sublime. Those plus a throwing error by reliever Danny Salazar led to six unearned runs, which is no way to win in October. “We kept shooting ourselves in the foot,” was the way Tribe manager Terry Francona summed it up. Indeed, things have turned so dramatically over these last couple of days that Francona, not Girardi, had to answer the tough questions after this game, as his decision to pitch Trevor Bauer on three days’ rest blew up on him. Bauer, who overmatched Yankee hitters in Game 1, didn’t have the same killer curveball on this night, and he couldn’t get out of the second inning, essentially KO’d by Aaron Judge’s two-run double off the wall in left field.
Yet Francona defended his strategy, in part because Bauer insists he prefers pitching on three days rest.
“We don’t ever just throw stuff against the wall and hope it sticks,’’ Francona said. “We try to have good reasons for it. I mean, losing’s no fun but we prepare ourselves pretty extensively, and then you have to live with the outcome.”
In fact, this is the strategy the Indians’ manager had in mind when he made the curious choice to hold his ace, Corey Kluber, back for Game 2, knowing he could use Bauer for Game 4 and then Kluber on full rest in Game 5.
And it might still work out for him if Kluber shuts down the Yankees on Wednesday night.
It makes for high drama on Wednesday night in Cleveland, where Girardi will start CC Sabathia, who pitched so well there in Game 2 and was a relatively easy call over Sonny Gray, who struggled in Game 1 and hasn’t pitched well in three of his last four starts.
Even so, holding down the Indians’ offense in Cleveland for two straight starts would be some feat for Sabathia, at age 37, and the matchup once again has to favor Kluber heavily
But the Yankees know they’ve outplayed the Indians in this series, and down deep they surely feel they could have won the series by now, if only Girardi had challenged that call in Game 2.
Still, as underdogs they seem to be playing loose and confident, while the Indians are playing like a team trying desperately not to let the series get away. As much as a win would mean to both teams, nobody has more riding on Game 5 than Girardi. One more win for redemption.