Thoughts following ALCS Game 1

You could not possibly script a better start to the postseason for the Yankees. Four games, four wins, all against 100+ win teams. And they've outscored their opponents 30-7 in those four games with the seven runs allowed coming in seven separate one-run innings. No big rallies given up at all. Pretty incredible, eh? The Yankees are probably going to get kicked in the teeth at some point, that's usually how the postseason goes, but, right now, the Yankees have been the best team in October and it's not even close. Here are some thoughts after that complete effort Game 1 win.

1. There's only one Tanaktober. Good thing I was worried about the decision to start Masahiro Tanaka in Game 1 rather than James Paxton, huh? Real good use of my time and your hard-earned Patreon dollars. Tanaka was brilliant yet against last night. He is the first pitcher in history to allow no more than two runs in each of his first seven postseason starts, and he owns a 1.32 ERA in 41 career innings in October. Two things stood out about Tanaka's start last night. One, he really kept the ball on the ground. He allowed 13 balls in play and only four left the infield. And two, Tanaka stayed out of the middle of the strike zone. Look at his pitch locations:

Ridiculous. Tanaka was on the edges all night and the Astros, one of most powerful lineups in baseball, did nothing against him. "The poise of Masahiro to come in here -- a hostile environment -- and shut down one of the most potent offenses in the league," said Aaron Judge when asked what impressed him most about Game 1. With his pitch count at only 68, everyone and their mother thought Tanaka should've gone out for the seventh inning, but Tanaka admitted after the game that he was starting to tire -- "At this point in time I don't think you really consider the number of pitches that much. For me it wasn't much of a surprise being pulled out after the sixth inning," he said -- and Aaron Boone said he didn't want to push him. Tanaka's third time through the order splits are extreme and the Astros did begin to work longer and better at-bats in the fifth and sixth innings. With a well-rested bullpen and a chance to take a 1-0 series lead, I'm cool with pulling Tanaka there, all things considered. I'd rather go to this bullpen a few batters too early than a few batters too late, you know? Overall, just a brilliant performance from Tanaka. This dude is a stone cold killer in big games. "Obviously the number's there and I guess I'm flattered, but the happiest thing for me is us being able to get the W, and knowing that you went out there and you gave everything you had. That's the feeling that you're looking for, and so that's kind of where I'm at with that," Tanaka said after Game 1.

2. It's Gleyber Day! During the postseason preview episode of R2C2, CC Sabathia said he expected Gleyber Torres to explode this October, and the young man is doing exactly that. Three more hits last night, including a double to open the scoring, a solo home run to add an insurance run, and the two-run bloop single to break the game open. That last at-bat was incredible. Torres fell behind in the count 1-2 to Ryan Pressly, one of the best relievers in the game, then he spit on two close pitches (one fastball, one curveball) to work the count back full, then he reached down and poked the single to shallow center. It was a veteran at-bat from the 22-year-old kid. "I know he's always come up clutch for the team. He's playing like a veteran. He's playing like he's anticipating every situation," Didi Gregorius said following Game 1. Gleyber is hitting .471/.500/1.059 (302 wRC+) this postseason with four doubles and two homers in four games. He leads all players in extra-base hits this postseason -- remember, the Yankees have played fewer games than every other remaining team because they swept the ALDS -- and, at 22 years and 303 days, he became the youngest Yankee ever to drive in five runs in a postseason game last night. The previous youngest: Bobby Richardson in Game 3 of the 1960 World Series. He was 25 years and 50 days old. The production has been both timely and immense. If you're reading this, you already knew Torres was a star. He's lived up to the prospect hype and then some since being called up last year. Now that he's doing it on the big stage in October, everyone else knows Gleyber is a franchise type player, not just those who following the Yankees. So fun. This is so, so fun. "During my career in the minor leagues I prepared really well myself for every situation last year. I take all the experience and now I just put all the experience in my game. Prepare really well to be here and help my team. So now I got opportunity. I just be patient and just go to the ballpark, play hard, and try to win all the games," he said.

3. Defense shines again. Four postseason games and only one error for the Yankees, and that was DJ LeMahieu's dropped pop-up in the second inning of ALDS Game 1. Errors are hardly the best way to evaluate defense, but they do speak to makeable plays being botched, and the Yankees are doing anything but that right now. They're turning double plays when they need them -- that includes Aaron Judge starting an incredible double play in right field last night -- and they're making the routine plays exactly that: routine. Also, LeMahieu is making scoops at first base like he's been playing the position his entire career. It's not just last night. He did it in the ALDS too. It's hard to believe he came into the season with 13 career innings at first base (majors and minors). Didi Gregorius and Gio Urshela are vacuuming up everything on the left side of the infield, and Judge has been playing out of his mind in right field. There were the two diving catches in ALDS Game 1, the running catch in ALDS Game 3, and then the double play last night. The Yankees are giving teams nothing. They're pitching well and the defense is turning base hits into outs. They are executing an incredibly high level right now. Offensively, defensively, on the mound, whatever. Four games into the postseason, the Yankees have outplayed their opponents in every facet of the game. Just don't overlook the defense. The Yankees are stealing a hit every inning it seems.

4. Boone's moves. Aaron Boone has the golden touch this postseason. It has been the complete opposite of last postseason. Bat Brett Gardner third? That works. He hit a homer in Game 1 of the ALDS and drove in an important run in Game 3 as well. Change it up and bat Gleyber Torres third? That worked too. Torres had a monster game last night. Flip Masahiro Tanaka and James Paxton in the ALCS rotation order? Tanaka responds with six brilliant innings. All the bullpen moves -- there have been a lot of them -- are working out perfectly. (Well, except Adam Ottavino walking Nelson Cruz twice, but that's in the past now.) Boone caught a lot of grief last October and he deserved it. Pretty much everything he did backfired. This year it's all working out. Maybe it comes down to preparation, maybe it's about gut feel (this one I doubt, but who knows), maybe it's about the players making the manager look smart. After all, if the defense doesn't turn that double play behind Ottavino in the seventh inning last night, the decision to remove Tanaka wouldn't be going over so well right now. Chances are it's a little of everything. The Yankees and Boone have upped their preparation, and he's being more proactive rather than reactive, hence pulling Tanaka when he did last night. At the end of the day, the players play, and the manager can only do so much. He can push all the right buttons and it still might blow up in his face. That's baseball. This postseason though, I feel like Boone is putting the Yankees in a much better position to win than he did last year, and that's all you can ask from the manager. Put the team in the best position to win and let the players do the rest. Whatever happens, happens. I am very pleased with Boone's apparent growth in terms of on-field strategy.

5. Rapid fire thoughts. Gio Urshela is starting to sting the ball again. He finished the regular season in a 3-for-27 (.111) slump and went 0-for-4 in ALDS Game 1. Urshela then had two singles in Game 2, a loud double in Game 3, and last night he had a single, an opposite field homer, and a double taken away by a leaping Alex Bregman. The bat's coming around ... Jonathan Loaisiga has jumped Luis Cessa on the bullpen depth chart. The Yankees have won two blowout games this postseason and both times Loaisiga was chosen to close it out over the guy who spent the entire regular season in the big league bullpen. Cessa warmed up in ALDS Game 2 when the Yankees had an 8-1 lead and that's it. He's yet to appear in a game ... speaking of that, I count six players on the postseason roster who have yet to appear in a game: Cessa, Aaron Hicks (ALCS roster only), Austin Romine, CC Sabathia (ALCS roster only), Luke Voit (ALDS roster only), and Tyler Wade (ALDS roster only). That surprised me. I thought it would be more, but I guess it makes sense ... the ball has definitely been unjuiced. Aaron Judge laid into a center-cut Zack Greinke fastball in the first inning last night and it just died in the outfield (video). That ball should've been on the train tracks. The exit velocity (102.8 mph) and launch angle (32 degrees) gave that ball an expected batting average of .740, yet George Springer was practically able to camp under it. I believe the Yankees benefit from the unjuiced ball (their pitchers give up fewer homers and their hitters don't need the juiced ball to go deep), but geez, I need to recalibrate what my eyes see as a home run off the bat ... two hits, including a rocket opposite field home run into the bullpen for Giancarlo Stanton last night. He's hitting .300/.467/.600 (173 wRC+) with more walks (four) than strikeouts (three) through four postseason games, and his at-bats look so much better than they did last October. "Yeah, yeah. You learn," he said to Andy Martino ... Luke Voit is still with the Yankees -- Tyler Wade was sent to Tampa to join the other extra players staying ready in case they're needed -- and while he was understandably disappointed about being left off the ALCS roster, he's got a good attitude about it. "Something could happen where my name gets called tomorrow or any time in this series. But I’ve just got to keep a positive mindset, make sure I’m getting my work in every day and be the biggest cheerleader on the bench," he told Brendan Kuty. Voit was the first one out of the dugout to congratulate Jonathan Loaisiga for getting the final out last night ... crazy idea: do the Yankees bring Masahiro Tanaka back on short rest to start Game 4 after he threw only 68 pitches last night? I seriously doubt it. They like to give Tanaka as much extra rest as possible, and besides, using Tanaka on short rest in Game 4 means they'd still need a fourth starter in Game 5, unless they're willing to use James Paxton on short rest too. I can't see either team using their Game 1 starter on short rest in Game 4. Given Tanaka's low pitch count last night, using him on short rest is at least an option available to the Yankees ... generally speaking, splitting the first two games on the road is a good outcome. After winning Game 1, it's time to get greedy. The bullpen is rested and there's an off-day Monday, so the Yankees can be aggressive in Game 2 tonight and try to escape Houston with a 2-0 series lead. Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole are lined up to start Games 2 and 3, respectively, so shit's about to get real.

(Self-promotion: I wrote a thing at CBS looking for "lanes" for the Yankees top relievers. It was geared toward Game 1, but it really applies to the entire ALCS. Check it out.)