New York Yankees: Takeaways from the AL Wild Card Game

The AL Wild Card Game was a roller coaster for the New York Yankees but the Bronx Bombers managed to get past the Twins and into the ALDS. What can we take away from the Wild Card Game?

The New York Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins Tuesday night in the 2017 AL Wild Card Game to get into the American League Division Series where they will take on the Cleveland Indians. The game did not go quite the way the Yankees would have hoped but hey, a win is a win.

Final. 8. 43. 4. 2

So what can we take away from the Wild Card Game?

Well for starters, Luis Severino is not a bad pitcher. He is just awful against the Twins. Since Aug. 6, Luis Severino has pitched in 11 games. In only three of those games did he go less than six innings. Of those three games, two of them were against the Twins where he lasted three innings with three earned runs and 0.1 innings with three earned runs. With this being said, we should not worry about Luis Severino’s pitching, he just cannot pitch against the Twins. Also, Severino has pitched against the Indians twice. He went 6.2 innings in both outings with one earned run in one game and three earned runs in the other. We shouldn’t be too concerned about Severino as we move onto the ALDS.

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Aaron Judge plays better on a bigger stage. Going into last night’s game, no one was really sure how Aaron Judge would react while playing in the biggest game of his life. Well, he played the Wild Card Game just like any other game he had played this season. Judge managed to hit a home run to bring the Yankees lead to 7-4 in the fourth inning. In total, Judge had a single, a home run, three runs, and two RBI, helping lead the Yankees to an 8-4 victory over the Twins.
The Yankees offense is legit. Down 3-0 in the top of the first, just about everyone had counted out the Yankees before they had even come to bat. That only fueled the Yankees more and by the end of the 46-minute first inning, it was all square at 3-3. This team does not back down and no matter how much they are losing by, they will not surrender. Didi Gregorius hit a home run to right field in the bottom of the first, tying the game 3-3 and the Bronx Bombers never looked back. The Yankees faithful had Yankee Stadium rocking and it helped the Yankees to beat the Twins for the fourth time in two weeks.

Here is what Aaron Judge had to say after his first career playoff game from the New York Post:

"“It was extraordinary,’’ Judge said of the 49,280 fans. “We were feeding off that crowd all night.’’This was the Judge’s Chambers like never before.“I was nervous before the game, but after the first pitch was thrown it’s still the same ballgame,’’ Judge said after his two-hit, three-run, two-RBI night, becoming only the third Yankees rookie to homer in his postseason debut, joining Shane Spencer (1998) and Elston Howard (1955)."

While the New York Yankees may have gone 2-5 against the Indians this season, that does not mean anything. This Yankees team is hungry and the last time they played, there was no “Toe-Night Show” in the dugout following every home run.

Next: Yankees Surviving Biggest Weakness Provides Playoff Hope

This team is unlike any Yankees team we have ever seen, but they still have the same goal as every other Yankees team before them; get the next World Series title.

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