Following two largely uncompetitive losses to the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Division Series, the Yankees have their backs against the wall.
But with the series turning back to the Bronx for Tuesday’s Game 3, manager Aaron Boone explained that it’s important to take things one game, one inning, one pitch at a time, and he’s confident that lefty Carlos Rodon can help his club stave off elimination.
“A ton,” Boone responded when asked about how much confidence he has in Rodon, who won a career-best 18 games this season. “He’s been obviously one of our horses this year. He’s had a great year, and every time we give him the ball we feel like we have an excellent chance to win, and that will be the same [on Tuesday].
“He’ll be ready to roll and then hopefully get us off to a good start.”
As good as Rodon has been this season, though, October baseball has been a different beast for the 32-year-old. Just as SNY contributor Anthony McCarron pointed out following the Game 2 loss, Rodon owns a career postseason 6.15 ERA, a notable uptick from his 3.09 regular season ERA.
Rodon also has to deal with a red-hot Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who has six hits in nine at-bats this series, including Game 2’s backbreaking fourth-inning grand slam.
Guerrero also has great lifetime numbers against Rodon (10 hits in 17 at-bats, four extra-base hits, five RBI).
“Obviously, he’s a guy who hits the ball incredibly hard, has a good idea of the strike zone, has power when he gets into that mode too a little bit,” Boone said. “Obviously, he’s hit a couple of balls out of the ballpark, but also shown his bat-to-ball skills where he can kind of spray it around the yard too. He’s certainly hurt us so far and hopefully we can contain that a little bit [Tuesday].”
The Yankees are no strangers to facing elimination. They trailed Boston by a game in the best-of-three Wild Card Series before winning two straight. The Blue Jays have looked nearly unbeatable, scoring 23 runs on 29 hits while allowed just eight Yankees’ runs over the first two games, but Boone’s message to the team is to take things one pitch at a time, and to collectively do their best to avoid the emotional ebbs and flows of October baseball.
“The challenge is always trying to stay off that roller coaster as best you can, and you’ve got to be able to do that as a player,” Boone said. “We’re human, you feel things, it sucks when you lose and it’s exciting when you win and you try to absorb that, but you’ve got to keep moving.
“That next play, that next pitch, that next game becomes the most important thing, and that’s where you’ve got to keep your focus.”
The skipper added later: “I think one of the learned skills, acquired or born with, whatever, is you’ve got to be able to withstand success and failure over the long haul if you’re going to have a career in this, a sustained career in this. And that’s a challenge and that’s sometimes hard, and that’s what the really good ones are good at.”
