ANGRY HAPP IS ON A ROLL!
After clash with Cash, he’s been great as Yanks win 10th straight
YANKEES 8
RED SOX 0
BOSTON — Last month, J.A. Happ accused the Yankees of holding him back in his starts and innings to try and prevent the $17 million vesting option in his contract from kicking in. GM Brian Cashman answered through the media that, quite simply, they had to give priority to starting pitchers who were better than Happ.
Since then, it would be hard to argue that any of the Yankees pitchers have been better.
Clearly pitching with a point to prove, Happ threw eight dominating, shutout innings as the Yankees beat the Red Sox 8-0 at Fenway Park and started turning their focus toward the playoffs.
After the win, the Yankees’ “magic number” to clinch one of the eight American League playoff spots, was down to one. A Mariners loss in the late West Coast game would clinch a playoff spot for the Bombers.
Happ should be credited with a big part of the Yankees being on the verge of earning their four straight trip to the postseason, just a week and a half after they were clinging to a wild-card spot.
While the Yankees are already rearranging their rotation for the playoffs, however, Aaron Boone was vague about Happ’s role in those playoffs.
“We’ll see. I mean, he’s obviously going to be on the team and, and I think playing a big role,” the Yankees manager said. “But,we’ll cross that bridge, as we get there over the next week, to 10 days.”
Saturday night, Happ scattered four hits and struck out nine. He did not walk a batter. He is the only Yankees starter to go eight innings this season. Behind him, Yankees (31-21) won their season-high 10th straight game, matching their longest winning streak since 2012. It clinched their 28th consecutive winning season and was their 12th straight win over the Red Sox (19-34) , tying their longest winning streak against their division rivals. They won 12 straight against Boston 12 times, the most recent in 1952-53.
Clint Frazier hit his sixth home run of the season and had his 11th multihit game of the season, going 3-for-4 with three RBI. It was the 21st home run the Yankees have hit in the last five games.
The home run and power game was obviously a huge part of propelling the Yankees to the verge of the playoffs and on this 10-game winning streak as the Bombers outscored their opponents 77-25.
Boone said it all got started with strong starting pitching. Over their last 14 too .” games, Yan- kees starters posted a 2.35 ERA with 95 strikeouts and held opponents to three earned runs or fewer in their last 12 games. While the winning streak technically started 10 games ago, Boone thought it started turning around with Happ’s seveninning start against the Blue Jays in Buffalo the game before.
In his last six starts, since Aug .16 after hiss pat with the Yankees, Happ went 2-1 with a 1.93 ERA and 36 strikeouts. That is the lowest ERA of a Yankees starter over that span and perhaps their most reliable as they make plans for the playoff rotation.
That began before Saturday’s game, when Boone announced that they planned to push back Gerrit Colle and Masahiro Tanaka this week to line them up for the first two games of the postseason.
“We’ll probably have Cole go on Tuesday and Tanaka on Wednesday and then Monday we could be a bullpen day, it could be Michael King could be a number of different things that we’re considering,” Boone said. “It could depend on how these next two games flush out too"
With the coronavirus pandemic-shortened 60-game season, Cole will finish with 12 starts. Tanaka with 10.
Happ will only get to nine starts, which is one shy of the prorated 10 starts and well shy
of the 62 innings he would need to reach to have a $17 million option kick in. He also doesn’t know what his role will be in the playoffs.
“I don’t have any thoughts at this moment on it,” said Happ, who has been tight-lipped since his public spat with Cashman.
Looking at free agency in 2021 and pitching so well down the stretch, Happ was also almost speechless about his turnaround.
“I don’t think I can put it into words,” Happ said of what the turnaround has meant to him and he very carefully thanked his teammates. “I appreciate the support from the players here in this room and it just certainly means a lot and it feels good.”