The New York Yankees are on a roll heading into the playoffs with a three-game winning streak while now owning the second-best record in the American League at 86-67.
The club is three games up on the Houston Astros for the top Wild Card spot, meaning they’ll likely host a best-of-three Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium to open the postseason since they’re exceedingly unlikely to catch the Toronto Blue Jays at the top of the AL East.
Even when taking their recent success into account, however, legendary Yankees pitcher Ron Guidry shared some concerns about whether or not the team’s offense is going to put runs up on the scoreboard if they aren’t hitting home runs in October.
Unknown date and location; USA; FILE PHOTO; New York Yankees pitcher Ron Guidry in action on the mound. Mandatory Credit: Tony Tomsic-USA TODAY NETWORK / Tony Tomsic-Imagn Images
“Let’s say you’re facing (the Tigers’ Tarik Skubal), he’s not going to give up five home runs,” Guidry told NJ.com’s Bob Klapisch. “That’s when you have to learn how to capitalize on a leadoff double, or a walk and a steal, because one or two runs is all you’re going to get.
“When (the Yankees) hit home runs, they’re tough, no question. I’ve seen them score 10 runs in a game lots of times. But I’ve also seen them not score the next night.
“That’s when you have to manufacture runs. And let’s face it, they’re not the best team at doing that.”
The Yankees are the league’s most prolific team from a run-scoring perspective, ranking No. 1 with 801. Their propensity for the long ball has, of course, played a huge role in their success in that facet of the game, as they’ve hit the most homers with 258, but Guidry’s questions about the offense’s sustainability in the playoffs may have some merit.
New York’s lineup is also up there in terms of the most talented around the league, especially in the AL, but the ball may not travel as far once the weather starts to cool down in October.
The Yankees currently rank No. 12 across all of MLB in batting average at .250, and they come in at No. 9 in terms of average with runners in scoring position at .253. Those numbers, coupled with an on-base percentage that’s the third-best in the league at .331, should help the club continue to push runs across the plate at a high rate in the playoffs, but will it be enough if their power dissipates just a bit against better pitching?
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