Three takeaways after Yankees-Royals Game 1
Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. scores go-ahead run on Alex Verdugo's single in the seventh inning as Royals catcher Salvador Perez fields late throw during Game 1 of the ALDS at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
After Saturday night’s 6-5 victory over the Royals in Game 1 of the AL Division Series, Juan Soto said the Yankees don’t mind having an odd day off on Monday — even though they just had five days off before the opener and are off again on Tuesday before the series shifts to Kansas City.
“We’ll take it as a break after a game today,” Soto said. “I think it was perfect to have an off day and then come back Monday.”
With that in mind, here are some takeaways after Game 1 and going into Game 2 in the spirit of it never being too early to make sweeping generalizations after a single postseason game:
All that Jazz
The margin of victory can be so tiny in the playoffs. As small as the heel of Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s left spike.
Before Alex Verdugo drove in what proved to be the winning run with a two-out single in the seventh, Chisholm got into scoring position by stealing second base.
But Chisholm should have been out. Maybe he was.
Chisholm was heading back to first as Michael Lorenzen delivered the pitch to Anthony Volpe. A decent throw by Salvador Perez would have nailed Chisholm. But the throw was high — second baseman Michael Massey had to leap for it — and Chisholm just beat the tag.
Or did he? The safe call was confirmed on replay by the tip of Chisholm’s heel, but Royals manager Matt Quatraro said after the game he thought the replay officials got it wrong.
“I knew I was in there,” Chisholm said. “That’s what we were talking about at second base, actually. He was like, ‘I think I put down a good tag.’ I said, ‘You did put down a good tag. That doesn’t mean I’m out.’ ”
On Verdugo’s RBI single, Chisholm flew around third base with his head down and slid in safely as the throw from leftfielder MJ Melendez was wide and skipped away from Perez. It would have been close with a true throw.
“I kind of blacked out at the moment,” Chisholm said. “As soon as he swung, I just was going. Didn’t look at a stop sign, didn’t do anything. I was planning on scoring.”
Yankees baserunning has not been a strength this season. Giancarlo Stanton’s plodding baserunning — necessary because of all his leg injuries — cost the Yankees two runs on Saturday.
It will be interesting to see if baserunning becomes a Yankees strength in October.
Luke, meet Mo
Luke Weaver said the other day that he doesn’t consider himself the Yankees' closer. He also said he’s never met Mariano Rivera.
Weaver did his best Mariano impression in Game 1. Called in with two outs and a man on in the eighth and the Yankees holding a one-run lead, he retired all four batters he faced, striking out the first three.
It was Weaver’s first postseason save and the fifth of his nine-year career. All of them have come since Sept. 6.
“Excellent,” manager Aaron Boone said, “especially his first time in the playoffs. Going through the top of that order right there after finishing off the eighth inning is no easy task, and he was up to it.”
Weaver is the Yankees’ closer. And if Rivera happens to throw out a first pitch before a game in this postseason, Weaver should make it a point to introduce himself.
The man Weaver replaced as closer, Clay Holmes, was the winning pitcher. Holmes used to own the ninth inning for the Yankees before blowing too many saves.
On Saturday, he was warming as early as the fourth with Gerrit Cole struggling before entering the game in the sixth. Holmes threw 1 2/3 innings of scoreless ball and can be a real weapon if he goes on one of his signature runs of good pitching.
Just keep him away from the ninth.
Judge quiet
Aaron Judge, who came in as a .211 career postseason hitter, went 0-for-4 with a walk and three strikeouts. In his final regular-season appearance exactly a week earlier, Judge went 0-for-5 with five strikeouts in a meaningless game against Pittsburgh.
But at least Judge’s team won on Saturday. Royals MVP candidate Bobby Witt Jr. went 0-for-5 with a strikeout looking against Weaver for the second out of the ninth.
Also, it's one game.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
