The New York Yankees will play another day. On Thursday night at Petro Park, the Yankees knocked out the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 4 of the LDS and even won the two-match series (NY5, TB1). The decisive game will be played on Friday night at 5 p.m. The winner progresses to face the Astros in the ALCS. The loser goes home.
Jordan Montgomery and ex-reliant Chad Green, Jack Britton, and Aroldis Chapman intercepted the race with one run and three hits in Game 4, and the Yankees had time to stay home with Luke Voight (solo) and Gleber Torres (two). Races received. Finished off. After a while the insurance races seem to be one-sided to the game than the actual final score was given. It was tight on all sides.
There are three takeaways from Game 4.
Montgomery gave the Yankees everything they needed
Pitching other than Garrett Cole has been a real problem for the Yankees this postseason. His non-Cole Hullers allowed 25 off 31 balls in Game 4, and he gave the ball to Leifen Jordan Montgomery in line with his season. He has a 5.11 ERA during the regular season.
Montgomery gave the Yankees what they needed. He kept Reyes on one run in four innings, and danced at risk in the third and fourth innings (two runners were caught in each innings). Understandably, the Yankees did not allow Montgomery to cross the lineup for the third time. He took four innings and ran away.
Once Montgomery crossed them in four innings, the Yankees were able to turn the game into one of their top high-lever relievers. Chad Green retired all six batsmen, Jack Britton retired all five batsmen, and Aroldis Chapman went for a four-run save.
In Games 2-3, for the first time in the franchise’s history, after allowing at least seven runs and at least three home runs in back-to-back postseason games, New York’s pitching staff stopped Rays in Game 4. Realistically, there was no way to force Game 5 to perform without a good pitching performance, and four pitchers delivered it on Thursday.
The crime made some minor history
After Luke Voight’s lone home run to open the scoring, the Yankees loaded the bases with a tight tie against race opener Ryan Thomson, but DJ Lemhiu managed just one run on the sacrifice fly. It was a great opportunity for them to regret it.
The Yankees managed to nurse until the sixth inning, when Gleber Torres insured a two-run house outside the West Metal Supply building in the left area. He now has five career postseason home runs, tied with the most Mickey Mantle by a Yankee before his 24th birthday.
Giancarlo Stanton didn’t go deep into Game 4 – he hit six homers in New York’s first five postseason games – but he made a double crack to the wall in the left field. He is now the first player in MLB history to have an extra base hit in his team’s first six matches in a single postseason.
Also, Lemahio started Game 4 with an infield single, extending his postseason hit series to 12 games. It returns to last year’s LCS Game 1 and is tied for the third-longest postseason hit series in Yankee history:
- Hunk Baur: 17 games (1956-58)
- Derek Jeter: 17 games (1998-99)
- Derek Jeter: 12 games (2001-01)
- Bernie Williams: 12 games (2003-04)
- DJ Lamahiyo: 12 games and counting (2019-current)
Torres, Stanton, and Lemahio all made history in Game 4. Minor history, but history despite this. Most importantly for the Yankees, they all contributed to a win and forced a Game 5.
We’re getting a Game 5
And it may be the only one in LDS. The Astros and Braves have already punched their ticket to the LCS, and the Dodgers take command of the series 2-0 over the Padres. Game 5 is Friday night. Garrett will be with the Yankees for a while. The Rays are competing with Tyler Glassnow, their Game 2 starter, which is likely to be the highest weapon position for Tampa.
