The New York Yankees maintained their composure at the plate on Monday night, making history in the process.
Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton’s home runs contributed to four of the Yankees’ five runs, while their discipline also troubled the Cleveland Guardians’ pitching staff, as they drew seven walks in Game 1 of the ALCS.
Soto, Stanton, Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres, Anthony Volpe, Anthony Rizzo, and Alex Verdugo each received a walk, prompting Cleveland to bring in their third pitcher with no outs in the bottom of the fourth inning.
The Yankees’ performance wasn’t surprising, as they recorded 27 walks during their four-game ALDS series against the Kansas City Royals. In that series, they had eight walks in Game 1, five in Game 2, nine in Game 3, and five in Game 4.
So far this postseason, the Yankees have averaged 6.8 walks per game, achieving at least five walks in each of their first five playoff matches.
According to OptaSTATS, this marks the longest streak for any team at the start of a playoff run in MLB history.
The only team with a longer streak in a single postseason is the 1993 Philadelphia Phillies, who had at least five walks in seven straight games.
The Yankees topped all of Major League Baseball with 672 walks this season, surpassing the next highest American League team by 101 walks.
Much of this success can be credited to Judge and Soto, who finished first and second in the league with 133 and 129 walks, respectively.
In the playoffs, Judge and Torres have each recorded six walks, tying for the most among AL players this October. Volpe has drawn five walks, while Soto has four.
Game 2 of the ALCS is set to start at 7:38 p.m. ET on Tuesday, with Tanner Bibee on the mound for the Guardians.
He enters the game with a 2.08 ERA and averages 3.1 walks per nine innings this postseason.
Leave a Reply