NO LOVE LOST IN AL RIVALRY
The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays swept their respective American League Wild Card Series last week, giving both teams the better part of a week to rest up for the ALDS.
The best-of-five series will be played this week at Petco Park, beginning today with Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole facing Rays left-hander Blake Snell in Game 1.
The teams arrived in San Diego on Friday, both ensconced at the same undisclosed North County coastal resort property located about 45 minutes from downtown.
The way this American League East rivalry has heated up in recent years, maybe it’s a good thing social distancing is a requirement this season.
“We don’t like them very much,” Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier said Friday.
“The feeling is probably mutual,” Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner said a day later, adding, “It’s a big resort. We’ve got a lot of space. Say hello and keep moving along.”
Tampa Bay won the division with the AL’s best record, going 40-20 in a season shortened by 102 games because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Yankees were second, their 33-17 record providing an almost exact accounting of the distance that separated them from Tampa Bay — eight losses in 10 meetings with the Rays.
It was one of those two Yankees victories where bad blood spilled out of the dugout.
During a Sept. 1 game in New York, Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman threw a 101mph fastball close to the head of Rays pinch-hitter Mike Brosseau that brought players onto the field.
Chapman received a three-game suspension for the incident (which is on appeal that is postponed until 2021).
Both managers also were suspended for a game and fined.
Rays manager Kevin Cash directed a shot at Yankees manager Aaron Boone, something about “poor coaching, poor judgment and poor teaching.”
Cash concluded his comments with a thinly veiled threat: “The last thing I’ll say on this is I got a whole damn stable full of guys that throw 98 mph. Period.”
Scuffles are few and far between in the postseason, but who knows what to expect in a year where no one has known what to expect?
The Yankees, who swept Cleveland last week, are expecting more from themselves than in the regular season against the Rays. If for no other reason than they are healthier.
Sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton were in the lineup together for only three of 10 games against Tampa Bay.
“It’s a scary lineup when everyone’s full go,” said Judge, obviously encouraged when the offense put up 22 runs in two games against the Indians. “When we’ve got a full lineup, everyone’s healthy and they’re in there, we’ve got something special here in New York. That’s why we’re excited.”
Snell and Cole each pitched well in their postseason openers. Against Toronto, Snell took a no-hitter into the sixth inning of a 3-1 win over the Blue Jays. Against Cleveland, Cole — signed in the offseason to a $324 million contract — allowed two runs and six hits in a 12-3 win over the Indians. He struck out 13 batters in seven innings. Only Roger Clemens (15 strikeouts in the 2000 ALCS) has struck out more for the Yankees in a postseason game.
There are a couple of familiar faces in the Rays outfield, former Padres Manuel Margot and Hunter Renfroe.
Margot was all smiles being back at Petco. Well, he sounded like he was smiling, anyway, behind the mask he wore during a virtual interview.
“I’m very happy and I’m very proud,” Margot said through a translator. “This is a team that gave me an opportunity, so it’s a happy feeling to be back.”
Margot was asked about any insight he could share about how Petco plays.
“With it being a big park, any ball in the gap you always want to get to it quick and get to it aggressive,” he said. “If you take your time to try and go get it, it might be a triple. So you try to be aggressive being a big park.”
Plenty of space is a good thing, both this year and between these teams.