World Series Game 3: Dodgers (Buehler) at Yankees (Schmidt)

I always get in trouble because I speak the truth. We watched this team for years and also this season. If not for Judge and Soto they would be one of the worst in the league. 

Dugo sort've summed it up but left part out. The Yankees are DOGS. Problem is they are all bark and no bite. 

We will root and still hope but Cashman needs to go. We need to change the philosophy. This team has no gritty hard nose ball players. This entire season was baserunning mistakes, brainfarts in the field, not running balls out, constant flailing at pitches or called 3rd strikes, and pitchers with head problems. The high payroll and aged stars will sweat out the season and always make the playoffs but they fold in crunch time. 

Right ohtani hasn't done much neither has Betts but Freeman has been right there providing the offense.

The key to the Yankees winning the first two rounds was not letting these starters get any kind of footing. Getting to the bullpen and wearing them out. While their starter would make it to at least the 5th inning.

That hasn't happened here at all.


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I'm trying to understand your thought process here, the Yankees aren't hitting because Cortez gave up a home run in game 1? 

I guess I'll push back a little. Each game is different and good players overcome adversity and while it was a tough loss it was still only game 1 of a potential seven game series. IF our team goes into a multi game funk because of a tough loss then we have even bigger problems than I thought. Maybe the Dodgers are just making the plays and we ain't. 

The problem with building a championship team from within is that you often don't know who is "championship material."

Outside of Judge, there are several players who could develop into contributors on a championship team:

- Wells and Gil will both be top 5 in the ROY balloting.  They may not be there yet, but there's definitely potential.
- Clarke Schmidt is a starting pitcher in all 30 teams in baseball, including any championship level team.  He may not be an ace, but he certainly can be a #3 or even #2 starter.
- Oswaldo Cabrera is probably the most underutilized tool on the team.  He could be the Kike Hernandez of a championship team.
- Volpe is still only 23 but he's had 2 full years of experience at the MLB level.  If he doesn't make a major step forward in year 3, I think it's time to stop considering him as a potential championship caliber player.
- Chisholm would be considered a championship level player as a second-baseman, where I imagine he'll be next year.

To build from within, you have to be willing to take your lumps though.  Will the Yankees take Periera and his 40 games in LF at Scranton before injury and give him a shot to be the LF or 4th OF?  Will they give CF to Dominguez in March and let him learn the MLB level, knowing he's succeeded at every level but needed some time.  Do they give Rumfield a shot at 1B if they don't lose him in the Rule 5 draft, knowing that he may not have the power but he's a gold glove defender (and his power would be replaced by above average power at both 2B and C)?  Will they forgive Warren's pretty crappy MLB debut and look at his total picture and bring him north after Spring Training as either the 5th starter or a middle relief guy?  Do they let Peraza have a chance or do they cut bait after a mediocre AAA season?

Most of the things I've mentioned in the last paragraph are not in the Yankees' blood and quite frankly it's not in the average Yankee fan's blood either.  It wouldn't take until April 15th for fans to be screaming about how they have this "garbage" on the field before they even have a chance to settle into the bigs.

regarding the game 1 fiasco. we had that game won twice. first kahnle/weaver gave it up (a misplay was involved involved) and then in the 10th it was cousins/cortes and again a misplay. should hill have been in there instead. 2nd guess being 100% says yes. while i like hill and think he's done a great job - you often wonder how he does it. nestor is the "better" pitcher and put on the roster to specifically go through the tough lefties in that lineup (ohtani, freeman). certainly a bit of a gamble since he hadn't pitched in a month, but boone liked what he saw coming into the game. unfortunately nestor puts one in freeman's happy zone. did pitch a solid 1.2 innings last nite.

as for any hangover, don't see it. maybe a bit more pressure because of the game one loss no matter how it happened. but to these guys a loss is a loss. no one's thinking about cortez' HR. that's nonsense ... the biggest problem has been the offense and of course judge. even in game 1, we had stanton's HR and nothing else until jazz legs out a run in the 10th. a total of 9 hits and 4 runs in 2 games ain't getting it done. unfortunately we've seen this team in the PS a number of times.

You got it! What did Yogi say, "Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical." LOL Put yourself in the team's position...here you are knowing you're playing the best team in baseball, on the biggest stage, 1 out from winning game 1 of the World Series, then BOOM! Victory is taken out from under your feet. Just look at Yankee bats ever since game 1...they'll never admit it, because they probably can't see it themselves, but that shock of a loss stayed with the team for the rest of the series. So whoever thinks game ones mean nothing, are completely wrong...it means nothing if it was a regular win or loss, but it can mean everything if it was a shocker, as was the one in 2024.