Yankees Fall 4–2 in Game 162
Judge held out of lineup, falls short of Triple Crown
The Yankees lost 4–2 to the Texas Rangers on Wednesday.
The loss puts the Yankee’s 1 record at 99–63, as they fall one win short of a 100-win season.
They finish with the second-best record in the American League and will have a first-round bye into the ALDS.
After a summer full of adversity, the Yankees fought back to win 20 of their last 29 games.
“These guys never flinched,” manager Aaron Boone said.
“Now it begins for real.”
Game summary
Kyle Higashioka hit an RBI single in the second inning to give the Yankees the lead.
Charlie Culberson clubbed a solo home run to tie it, and Jose Trevino hit his own to give New York the lead again.
Jonah Heim tied it again with a home run in the fourth inning.
Texas took the lead for good in the fifth, thanks to Bubba Thompson’s RBI double and Marcus Semien’s RBI single.
Domingo Germán was pulled after 4.1 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits, walking one, and striking out six.
Albert Abreu got the last two outs in the fifth, while Miguel Castro, Lou Trivino, and Lucas Luetge all threw scoreless innings in relief.
Germán (2–5) picked up the loss.
Offensive season review
The offense revolved around Aaron Judge.
He sat out game 162 after hitting his 62nd home run Tuesday. He had played in the previous 55 games without rest as he chased and made history, his longest stretch by far this season.
By sitting out, he finished first in two of the three Triple Crown categories. Luis Arraez of the Minnesota Twins had a batting average of .316 compared to Judge’s .311.
Judge is a near lock for MVP, and the numbers back it up, not just in the AL, but in MLB.
In all of baseball, he ranks tied for first in RBI (131) and sole possession of first in the following categories: home runs (62), runs (133), WAR (10.7), on-base percentage (.425), slugging (.686), OPS+ (211), total bases (391), and extra-base hits (90).
A historical season. One we will never forget.
Pitching season review
Coming into 2022, the biggest question with this team was the starting pitching.
Gerrit Cole is a legitimate ace, but what about the supporting cast around him?
Well, Nestor Cortes turned into one of the best pitchers in baseball this year, earning an All-Star appearance, and Luis Severino served as a true number two behind Cole following seasons on the injured list.
Jameson Taillon was a capable starter, winning 14 games, and Jordan Montgomery was solid until he was traded. His replacements (Frankie Montas and Domingo Germán) were mediocre.
But the starting rotation ranked fourth in baseball in ERA (3.51), sixth in innings (894.1), fifth in strikeouts (897), and third in opponent’s batting average (.222).
The bullpen is beaten up heading into the postseason, and the closer role hasn’t been decided.
However, the season was a success for the unit as well, with Clay Holmes emerging as a lethal weapon, and Michael King showcasing closer stuff before his season-ending injury.
Bring on October and the postseason.
Looking ahead
With their first-round bye, the Yankees won’t play until Tuesday, Oct. 11.
They will face the winner of the three-game Wild Card series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians.
New York went 11–8 versus the Rays and 5–1 against the Guardians this year.
Gerrit Cole is expected to start game one of the ALDS, but an official announcement has not been made yet.
Eleven wins this postseason, and the New York Yankees will be World Series champions.
See you Tuesday.
Let’s go Yankees!
