Thoughts after Game 1 of the 2022 ALDS

One down, 10 to go. (Getty)

I wouldn’t call it a perfect win, but Game 1 went about as well as the Yankees could have hoped Tuesday night. They outslugged the Guardians – Cleveland has scored four runs on three homers in 33 innings this postseason – en route to a 4-1 win in Game 1. Also, CC Sabathia threw out the ceremonial first pitch! I hoped he would. Anyway, let’s get to the Game 1 thoughts.

1. Gerrit the Great. When Steven Kwan lifted that third inning solo homer into the short porch to give the Guardians a 1-0 lead, I thought great, here we go again with the home runs. They’ve been a problem for Cole the last few weeks and then a guy who hit six homers all season took him deep. Not the most encouraging sign, you know?

Ultimately, Kwan’s dinger was the only blemish against Cole. He navigated through early trouble and an elevated pitch count to take the ball into the seventh inning, and retired 12 of the final 14 batters he faced. The defense helped him, sure, but Cole got four strikeouts with runners in scoring position to escape jams. When he had to make pitches, he made ‘em.

“I mean, this team is like extremely hard to strike out. Like 29th or 28th in the league in terms of strikeouts. They put the ball in play. They lead the league in infield hits. They have good batting average and bat-to-ball skills across the lineup,” Cole said after Game 1. “I had foreseen trying to work out of traffic because of undesirable contact. So I was lucky to make pitches in those situations.”

Cleveland had the lowest team strikeout rate in baseball this season and only 14 times has a pitcher struck out at least eight Guardians in a game. Cole has now done it twice. He did it on April 24th and he did it again in Game 1. Here are Cole’s pitch locations. By and large, he stayed out of the damage area in the middle of the plate:

The Guardians missed 19 times on 52 swings against Cole, or 37%. That includes eight misses on 11 swings against his curveball. The are incredible rates against any team, and especially the best contact team in the league. The breaking balls were working. Look at the blue and yellow dots. Cole kept the benders down and just below the zone. High enough to tempt the hitter and low enough to avoid the barrel. Just masterful. The Kwan homer was Cole's one real mistake on the night.

“I thought Gerrit was really good,” Aaron Boone said. “I thought his breaking ball was really good. I thought he was unpredictable. I thought he did a good job of mixing pitches. The one big time jam that he got in, he's able to make some huge pitches to get out of the inning … I thought did a really good job of kind of owning the moment, being unpredictable, and I thought his breaking ball was really, really on point tonight. And then the few times he was backed into a corner, he made some pitches.”

This was Cole’s first home postseason start as a Yankee and he left to a big ovation, and it was deserved. Boone said the plan all along was to start Cole in Game 1. It was never going to be Nestor Cortes. The homer issues are a problem, but the Yankees still believe in him as a bona fide No. 1 starter, and he was indeed a No. 1 starter in Game 1. That was an excellent start to take control of the series.

“Yeah, it was very special for me. It was very special,” Cole said about leaving to an ovation. “You know, the game's not over. Left with traffic, so it's not the most comfortable time to acknowledge the crowd, but I certainly felt it and appreciated it. I thought they were in every pitch tonight, and what a wonderful experience to have them behind us.”

2. Dingers will get you to heaven. Harrison Bader’s great postseason run that validates the trade deadline is underway. He socked a loud homer – at 109.8 mph, it was his hardest hit ball of the season – in his first postseason at-bat as a Yankee, tying the game 1-1 in the third. That was definitely unexpected. Unexpected and much appreciated.

“I thought right away he endeared himself to us,” Aaron Boone said when asked how Bader has fit into the clubhouse. “He's an outgoing guy. Right away I could tell he was really excited to be here. I think he was aware and had some levity to the situation, like understanding, ‘We traded a popular teammate and I show up in a walking boot.’ He kind of made light of that. But we also knew we were getting a really good player. Obviously big home run there to get it started tonight, coupled with obviously what he brings in the outfield.”

The Yankees scored their second run thanks to some defensive funny business and also more clutch work from Jose Trevino. Isiah Kiner-Falefa got to third base when Oscar Gonzalez let a ball get through his legs in right field, and Trevino drove him in with a two-strike sacrifice fly. Trevino has been ridiculously clutch this year, hasn’t he? I don’t necessarily buy clutch as a skill, but players can have clutch seasons, and Trevino’s had one. He’s been amazing in important situations.

Given the state of the bullpen, a 2-1 lead in the sixth isn’t exactly comfortable. The Yankees were going to need insurance and their two best hitters provided it. Aaron Judge walked, stole second, then took third when the throw went into center field to begin the sixth inning. Oh yeah, the guy who hit an AL record 62 homers can steal bases and pressure the defense into making mistakes too. Judge is incredible.

Rizzo’s first two-bats were pretty rough, with a few uncharacteristic chases out of the zone. But former Yankees draft pick Cal Quantrill (26th round in 2013) gave him a flat cutter in that sixth inning …

… and Rizzo deposited that flat cutter into the second deck in right field. The Guardians have really struggled to put points on the board this postseason. That two-run homer probably felt like a 20-run homer in their dugout. I know I felt a little more comfortable, even with the bullpen being as out of sorts. Postseason homers are always welcome. Thanks, Tony.

The Bader and Rizzo homers were important because the Yankees only had two at-bats with runners in scoring position all night. Kiner-Falefa hit into a first pitch double play with two on in the second, then Rizzo went deep with Judge at third in the sixth. That’s it. Scoring opportunities were scarce, which is why you need hitters who are in scoring position when they’re standing at the plate. Bader tied it and Rizzo put it out of reach.

(Shoutout to the bottom of the lineup in general. I’ve been concerned it would be too big a black hole in the postseason. Well, the 6-7-8-9 hitters went a combined 4-for-10 with a homer and a walk, and scored/drove in half the Yankees’ runs. One good game does not a postseason make, but getting some offense from the bottom of the order was a welcome sight.)

3. Bullpen machinations. The bullpen is so uncertain right now that Clay Holmes, who received a cortisone shot in his shoulder two weeks ago, got the ball up three runs in the ninth. He was supposed to throw live batting practice Monday to gauge his readiness. The Yankees had him skip it so he could be available in Game 1. Game 1 was the first time Holmes faced hitters since his last game before getting hurt (Sept. 26th).

The piecing together of the late innings meant Jonathan Loaisiga faced the top and middle of the lineup in the seventh and eighth, Wandy Peralta got the lefties in the eighth and ninth, then Holmes took it the rest of the way in the ninth. Loaisiga and Wandy each got an important double play. Also, that was Wandy’s first game since Sept. 18th because of his back injury. It was like he never left.

For as much as the Yankees say they don’t have a closer, they keep going to Holmes in closer situations. His first pitch (a 94.1 mph sinker, well below his usual velocity) hit Own Miller. A weak grounder and a fly ball followed to end the game. Holmes got back up to 96-97 mph toward the end of the outing, but clearly, he’s down a bit following the surgery injury. Hopefully the velocity gets back to its normal 98+ mph soon.

“Lo coming in and getting a big double play, getting us out of an inning there, getting us out of a jam. Obviously Wandy coming in and being real efficient going through that lefty lane,” Boone said about the bullpen work. “And then Clay, really good to get him back out there. I thought he threw the ball really well. Hits the first guy, just had to check on my heart. I thought he threw the ball really well to finish off a really well-pitched night. “

(Realistically, the Yankees found the softest landing spot possible for Holmes. He entered with a three-run lead and faced the 7-8-9 hitters. That’s about as close to “easing him back into action” as it’s gonna get this time of year.)

Jameson Taillon warmed up in that ninth inning and I thought maybe he was just going through a warm up to get used to it in his first stint as a reliever, but no, he was readying to enter the game. Holmes was on a pitch count (he threw 10 pitches) and if he reached it, it was Taillon’s game. Boone was willing to bring Taillon into the middle of an inning with men on base*. He was going right into the fire. As much as I like Jamo, I’m glad it didn’t come to that.

* Kinda weird they were willing to do that with Taillon even though Lou Trivino was available? Trivino entered into the middle of an inning with runners on base in 10 of his last 16 regular season appearances, and he stranded 80% of inherited runners. The league average is 68%. The fireman role is kinda his thing, yet they were still ready to go with Taillon in the ninth. Huh.

The willingness to use Taillon like that, as well as Wandy and Holmes being used in important situations in their first games back from their injuries, speaks to the team’s trust in them, and also the overall state of the bullpen. The Yankees could have gone with lesser relievers and eased those guys into action. Instead, they used Peralta and Holmes in their usual roles, and it worked out. Peralta looked great. Holmes less so, but he got the two outs he needed to get.

“Yeah, I mean, it's all hands on deck,” Boone said. “And everyone is going to have to play an important role on a given night.”

4. The improved defense. You needn’t look at the numbers to know the Yankees improved defensively this season. Exactly how much they improved is up for debate, but they improved a lot, and the defense played a major role in the Game 1 win. Three plays stood out to me:

• Harrison Bader cutting off Jose Ramirez’s double and getting the ball in quick to prevent Amed Rosario from scoring in the third inning. Great under-the-radar play (video).
• Josh Donaldson throwing home for the force in the third. It is not easy shuffling to your left and then throwing back across your body like that (video).
• Anthony Rizzo turning a 3-5 double play in the eighth (3-5 because of the shift). Nothing special, but plays like that haven’t always been routine the last few years (video).

Bader and Donaldson, two players brought in specifically to improve the defense, made plays that directly saved runs. I guess technically they saved the same run – Bader held Rosario at third by getting the ball in quick, then Donaldson forced Rosario out at home – but their plays stopped a run from scoring. Those were enormous swing plays early in Game 1.

“I knew the speed of the runners on the bases. Rosario has really good speed as does Jose out of the box. I knew once it was hit that he was going first-to-third, and I knew once it was hit, he was going from first-to-second. That wasn't really my concern. My concern was like you mentioned preventing the ball from getting on the warning track and just getting it in as quickly as possible,” Bader said. “Once you transition the ball into the infielder, it normally shuts down the third base coach. And especially in that situation, they had some outs to play with. They didn't need to necessarily be, you know, forcing something, if you will. So everything is just timing. Everything is preparation. So as I'm running, you know, my only focus was just getting the ball in as quickly as possible and IK did a really good job of transitioning and coming up ready to make a throw. Listen, all of these little things -- all of these situations will come down to little plays like that. I'm just happy that I got an opportunity to make a good play for my team, and the pitching delivered.”

Isiah Kiner-Falefa booted literally the first ball hit his way this postseason, then there was that weird fielder’s choice in the third inning in which the Yankees didn’t get any outs because Rizzo double-clutched and Jose Trevino kinda sorta slipped. It wasn’t a flawless night for the defense, but impact plays were made and contributed to the win. The last few years plays like Bader’s and Donaldon’s just weren’t going to happen. That run would’ve scored.

“We have been really good defensively,” Rizzo said after the game. “I think that's credit to all of us putting the work in, our coaches putting us in good positions and getting us the work when we need it, and backing off when they know we don't. It's what's going to take us to the promised land is pitching and defense.”

5. Rapid fire thoughts. I'm willing to be somewhat forgiving about Josh Donaldson getting thrown out on that almost homer in the fifth inning (video). It looked gone, first base coach Travis Chapman high-fived Donaldson like it was gone …

… the stadium home run lights went on, etc. I know you’re supposed to watch the umpires and ignore everything else, but that’s easier said than done. There was a lot going on that said “home run.” Even the Guardians played it casually until the ball got to Amed Rosario at second, and he realized the ball was still live. Donaldson can be (very) irritating and he’s been thrown out a few times because he didn’t run out of the box this year, but I think this was the result of a weird set of circumstances more than not busting it out of the box. “I’m glad it didn’t end up hurting us,” Aaron Boone said. Agreed. If it did cost the Yankees, maybe I wouldn’t be in the forgiving mood. Right now, I’m okay chalking it up to a weird and unusual play … Despite the 0-for-3, the October of Oswaldo is off to a good start. He made a nice catch along the wall in foul territory, lost his hat, and high-fived the fan who gave it back (video). The kid is pure energy … And finally, it’s certainly not the atmosphere of the old Yankee Stadium, but the new Yankee Stadium is really electric in the postseason. I’m not sure how many of you were there for Game 1, but I enjoyed the pregame light show with Nick Swisher running out with the Yankees flag. When the Yankees break character and do something other than be stodgy and business-like, they can make this game a lot of fun.

6. Latest on Game 2. Just a quick weather update: Thursday’s forecast still ain’t good. If anything, it’s getting worse. Instead of just heavy thunderstorms around game time, it’s now going to rain pretty much all day too. Here’s the latest:

Aaron Boone and Terry Francona were asked about the weather and they acknowledged it’s coming, and it will force them to revise their pitching plans. Given the current forecast, I kinda hope MLB announces the Game 2 postponement Wednesday rather than waiting until Thursday. Let people know as soon as possible, you know? The forecast will have to change quite a bit over the next 34 hours or so (which is entirely possible) to play Game 2 as scheduled.

(Send your requests for Friday's mailbag to RABmailbag at gmail dot com. The random Yankee series is on hiatus, but feel free to send in requests for when it returns.)