Okay, I said I would rather lose this game than win and then lose the AL Division Series to the Boston Red Sox. Nevertheless I am quite pleased that we won.
And it does seem as though the Yankees are peaking just in time to face The Scum. Of course, there is the worry that they used up so many runs on the A's, but they won't have them to use against the scum.
Manager Aaron Boone started Luis Severino, in spite of a difficult 2nd half, because he thought Sevy's speed was appropriate to face this particular team. And for 4 innings, it was a brilliant choice: Despite 4 walks, Sevy didn't allow the A's a single hit.
He could pitch with confidence, because the game began with Brett Gardner singling and Aaron Judge hitting a home run to make it 2-0 Yankees.
But in the 5th inning, Sevy allowed 2 hits, and Boone came out, and replaced him with Dellin Betances. Sevy got a nice hand from the fans.
Replacing the starter already wasn't a crazy idea, but with Betances? Who's usually good in the 7th and/or 8th inning? (But not the 9th.) This looked like a panic move, one even Joe Girardi wouldn't have done. Or was it a hunch, the kind that Casey Stengel, Billy Martin and Joe Torre used to win big games for the Yankees?
It worked: Betances got out of the jam, and pitched a scoreless top of the 6th. That must've given the Yankees a big boost, because they scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 6th, thanks to back-to-back doubles by Judge and Aaron Hicks, a walk to Giancarlo Stanton, a triple by Luke Voit, and a sacrifice fly by Didi Gregorius.
David Robertson pitched a scoreless 7th. Zach Britton allowed a home run by Khris Davis to make it 6-2 in the top of the 8th, but Stanton launched one down the left field line, just fair, measured at 443 feet. And Aroldis Chapman pitched a scoreless 9th to end it.
Ballgame over! Yankees win! Theeeeeeee Yankees win! Holy cow! How about that!
Yankees 7, A's 2. WP: Dellin Betances. Not a save situation. LP: Liam Hendriks.
This was the 4th postseason meeting between the Yanks and the A's, following the 1981 AL Championship Series and the 2000 and 2001 ALDS. The Yankees have now won all 4 such rounds.
So, bring on The Scum. Game 1 is on Friday night, at Fenway Park. Game 2 is on Saturday at Fenway. Then a day off, and Game 3 is at Yankee Stadium on Monday. If necessary, Game 4 is at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday. And, if necessary, another day off, followed by a deciding Game 5 will be played next week's Thursday at Fenway.
Come on you Bombers!