Oct 125 min read

How The New York Yankees Won The ALDS

In 2024, October baseball continues to be synonymous with success for men in pinstripes. For the third time in six seasons, the New York Yankees have won the American League Division Series. For the Yankees, it is their 19th ALCS appearance in franchise history - a Major League Baseball record.

Concerns abound - and rightfully so - after the Yankees performed woefully with runners in scoring position in the first two games. Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon also failed to consume innings and venture deep into their respective starts following the first pair of matchups in this series.

History Repeated Itself In This Series

In more ways than one, fans were given a nostalgia trip during this ALDS clash. The Yankees triumphed over a bitter rival and some popcorn-grabbing moments that did not necessarily involve just the play on the field.

The fifth postseason series between these two franchises produced plenty of fireworks and animosity, too. There was the exuding of Jazz Chisolm's swagger that drew the ire of the Royals faithful. A heated moment between Anthony Volpe and Michael Massey after a slide that resulted in the benches being cleared also occurred.

If there was a playoff series that could coalesce generations of fans, this was surely it. The extreme, often violent ALCS encounters between the Yankees and Royals from 1976-1980 produced plenty of rancor. This series, while certainly not like the boxing matches between the two teams nearly a half-century ago, had plenty of bad blood.

In the end, the Yankees prevailed over their once-perennial October nemesis. They just happened to do so in a different way compared to how they would normally do it.

In a tightly contested matchup, the Yankees emerged victorious using some unconventional methods - at least by their 2024 approach. That begs the question - how did they get the job done?

The Yankees' Bullpen Had A Historically Dominant Series

In my preview of this series, I alluded to the discrepancy of the bullpens between the Yankees and Royals. While the relievers of the Yankees had a second-half ERA of 3.84 that ranked just 14th in the majors, they still had superior bullpen firepower to that of Kansas City. This series substantiates that claim.

In 15.2 innings of work, the Yankees' bullpen allowed approximately zero earned runs, and Kansas City batters put up a .148 average against New York's stable of relievers. Yankees relievers also struck out 25.9% of Royals hitters during the series.

Aaron Boone needed his bullpen to deliver, too, since no Yankees starting pitcher went more than five innings until Gerrit Cole's seven-inning effort in Game Four. Delivered would be an understatement, to say the least.

Conversely, Kansas City's bullpen had a 3.12 ERA and 5.42 FIP in this series. Kansas City's slew of late-inning arms also posted a 19.2% walk rate - more on that later.

Clay Holmes, the former closer who was much maligned during the regular season, was flawless in five innings. Of the 18 batters he faced, Holmes retired 14 of them and did not allow a run.

New closer Luke Weaver joined Mariano Rivera, Goose Gossage, and John Wetteland as the only closers in team history to record three or more saves in a single postseason series. Weaver himself struck out five of the 15 hitters he pitched to and issued no walks.

The Yankees' Plate Discipline Was Sensational

The Yankees had the highest walk rate in the majors (10.8%) during the regular season, and it wasn't close. That proved to be no different during the ALDS, as the Yankees walked 17.3% of the time.

In the four games, the Yankees walked a total of 27 times. In the first two games alone, the Yanks got 13 free passes. Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres, and Anthony Volpe accounted for 14 walks by themselves

Torres, whose career walk rate is 9.1%, walked 25% of the time in this series. The Yankees also had ample opposite-field hits and had a 48.5% hard-hit rate.

Some Usual Suspects Excelled, and Unlikely Contributors Helped

Giancarlo Stanton had a .960 postseason OPS entering this series. After starting slow, Stanton finished the series with a 6-for-16 mark, two doubles, and the go-ahead home run in Game Three. He was the primary orchestrator of the Yankees' offense.

Gleyber Torres may have only hit .200, but this is where the batting average gets misleading. A double was wrongfully taken away from him with a controversial foul ball call.

Despite a hard-hit rate of 41.7% in the ALDS, Torres's batting average on balls in play (BABIP) - a statistic that measures how often a non-home run batted ball becomes a hit - was just .182. That means that Torres got unlucky and was victim to some excellent defensive plays made on balls in play with a high expected batting average.

Yes, Aaron Judge Was Awful. But He Could Be Close To A Breakthrough.

There is no disputing that the Yankee captain has left much to be desired in postseason play. This series was no exception, either.

That being said, Judge did get progressively better throughout the ALDS. He did finish this series with just two hits in 13 at-bats and struck out four times in the first two games.

By Game Three, however, Judge was finding his swing and timing. He hit a 114.4 mile-per-hour line drive that was serendipitously caught by Bobby Witt Jr. He then hit a 341-foot flyout to left field. He hit another flyout that was almost a home run, too.

Finally, Judge hit a double in the sixth inning of Game Four - a 115.5 mile-per-hour rocket off his bat. He walked twice as well.

Judge could finally be finding his groove at the right time. This team cannot win a championship without his bat.

The Team Will Find Out Its ALCS Opponent on Saturday Night

The Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers will play a decisive Game Five on Saturday, October 12th. The winner of that game will face the Yankees for the right to play in the World Series.

Both clubs are familiar October adversaries for the Yankees - more so Cleveland than Detroit. New York faced Cleveland in the ALDS in 2017 and just two years ago, with the Yankees winning both series.

Before that, Cleveland bested the Yankees in the 2007 ALDS, infamously known for the attack of the midges in Game Two. They also played each other in the ALDS and ALCS in 1997 and 1998, respectively.

Cleveland won in 1997, and the Yankees exacted their revenge the following year, as they completed their quest to be the greatest baseball team ever assembled.

Detroit has not faced the Yankees in the postseason since the 2012 ALCS, which the Tigers won. Detroit also knocked the Yankees out of the ALDS in 2011 and 2006.

Whichever team the Yankees play against, they have to be far better with runners in scoring position, and the starting pitchers will have to go deeper into games.

For now, however, the Yankees can relish their ALDS victory, enjoy a weekend off, and then resume their hunt for their elusive 28th World Series championship. That quest begins on Columbus Day at 7:37 PM.

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