Anticipation, Excitement Build

Today will drag in preparation for game 5 of the ALDS. Maybe a quick recap of the season is in order. In spring training expectations for the Yankees to even make the playoffs were laughed at. We had a few veterans in Gardy, Ells, Hicks and newly acquired DH Matt Holliday but the core was a group of Baby Bombers: Sanchez, Judge, Bird, Severino. Did landed on the DL to start the season with an injury in the WBC. After a hot SP, Bird struggled out of the gate landing on the DL, took a month or more before it was discovered he an extra bone in the foot; following surgery to remove it & a hard rehab, Bird made an impact down the stretch. Sanchez incurred an arm injury and missed a month; Judge was out of sight for the first two months before a 6-week slump at the plate brought him back to earth - he never faltered in the field and was willing to take his walks throughout. He closed out the season with a power surge setting a rookie record for 52 home runs in a season - hands down ROY and contending for the MVP. Severino proved himself and in many eyes was the ace of the staff. Torreyes filled in wherever needed - subbing for Didi then Castro. With Sanchez on the DL, Romine filled in nicely behind the plate - playing regularly his stats were good while as backup they slipped. We watched Tanaka struggle before finishing strong - 15 Ks in his game. Together these guys worked together, pulled for each other at every turn & had fun playing and surprised the baseball world for a time with a stranglehold on first place. The slump of Judge, struggle of Tanaka and key injuries took its toll as they tumbled to second place in the AL East-the spot they held as the 2017 season came to a close. At the trade deadline, the powers that be led by Brian Cashman went out and made a few trades that saw the loss of some key chips in the farm system to get Todd Frazier, DRob, Tommy Kahnle from the White Sox; then Jaime Garcia from the Twinkies and eventually Sonny Gray from Oakland to bolster the roster for a playoff run.
This mixture of youth & veterans infused with some fresh faces gelled and brought on a special ride - three do-or-die games so far saw them rise to the top - tonight is another game for all the marbles, win or go home. Before the Girardi haters scream we should have won Friday night and it would be over - first remember nothing is a given. Just like you can't anticipate a double play or assume that without that error things would have played out the same - there is no way to say that the Yankees would have won game 3 & 4 had they won game 2. No one including Joe has said he didn't make mistakes in game 2 leading to the loss, but he has been the manager for the past 10 seasons and has one of the best managerial records. You might not like the way he does things but don't even his successor will answer to the brass. There is a pecking order, a certain way that things are done implementing modern technology - it doesn't matter who is sitting in the manager's chair. After the past few days, I have a feeling Joe might decide he doesn't need the nonsense of the media; the humiliation of the fans and will either get a front office job or take a break from baseball to spend time with the family.
Whether we have more game or 9 more wins in the 2017, we have been treated to excitement watching our Baby Bombers cut their MLB teeth and mold into a cohesive unit that has years of contention ahead - I love these guys for making it fun to be a Yankee fan.