Yankees playoffs: Baby Bombers prove all things possible for they who try

The Yankees have arrived in the ALCS well ahead of schedule. And it took almost every member of the roster to do what They said can’t be done. So to the Astros: Be afraid…be very afraid.

The Yankees fought back against terrific odds and obstacles of their own making to win the ALDS. In doing so, they destroyed demons and found redemption. And they proved true what they already seemed to know, that it would take the team to win the series.

By the end of the game on Wednesday, new Yankees playoff heroes had been born. Names such as Chapman and Gregorius, and yes, even Girardi, emerged. They proudly took their places in the Yankees 2017 ALDS Pantheon that already included men such as Tanaka, Bird, and Severino.

And not a minute too soon. But that’s what it takes in the playoffs. It takes a steady player to suddenly become a superstar. Or a man with the guts to make his own redemption, and enter his house justified.

Most of all, it takes the blending of youth and experience, just as Brian Cashman envisioned.

Poise Counts

CC, for instance, finished the second of two solid but unspectacular outings, the kind of steady performances just right for a young but powerful offense.

To wit, the baby bombers have played six postseason games. They’ve scored at least five runs in four of them, and at least seven runs in three games. Keep it together long enough and this team is likely to score runs.

Fortunately, Sabathia knows what it means to play in front of a team like that.

Girardi and the Yankees know that a young and explosive offensive benefit from a steady starter who never loses his composure. And veterans such as CC know you don’t have to excel at all times, not when the talent is on your side.

Now the baby bombers know it, too.

Home Runs and Heroes

Brett Gardner came in having performed well, hitting .250 for the series. He left having shown his successors the tenacity needed for late-game, postseason at-bats.

Every player says he wants his team to continue on in the playoffs. And they say they know to never give away such an important AB.

Then they need to stay up there and fight as Gardy did. Keep fighting until you get something to hit, or get a free pass to the first base bag because to win the games, you have to win the important AB’s.

That at-bat will play like a loop in their young Yankees’ heads in every big postseason AB from now until forever.

He Made Us All Euphorious

But no player had two bigger at-bats than Didi Gregorius. His defense, demeanor and OBP coming into the game had all helped the Yankees arrive at Game 5. And his home runs in successive at-bats ensured they would advance to the ALCS.

Remember it was his second home run that stands as the game-winning hit. And like Bird, Judge, and Sanchez, he put his name even above some Yankees legends: No pinstriped shortstop ever hit two home runs in one playoff game.

Again, the lesson learned is that every game, every at-bat, in the postseason is a chance to have a moment; a chance to be a hero. If enough Yankees have even a single moment in the ALCS, rise up and take their shining moment of glory in the sun, then the team can conquer. And advance.

And it was Truly Amazing

Veteran Aroldis Chapman was still looking for his moment when Game 5 started. He had done nothing but good things during this series coming into the game.

But on Wednesday, he did great things. And the grace he found on that fateful night shines all the way back to last October.

No matter what happens, Chapman can now go home justified, bathed in redemption. The same can be said for Joe Girardi.

Just days ago, he looked like a manager on the way out, one of the biggest reasons his team lost the ALDS. Now, he is the unquestioned leader of an over-performing Yankees team that rallied to his cause. And the win showed both his forethought and forthrightness.

Both Girardi and Chapman know that Chappy struggled in last season’s World Series because Joe Maddon overused him. That seemed to bleed into this year and haunted Chapman’s season. There was a time he looked lost.

My guess is that was the biggest prolonged struggle of his professional career.

From that moment on, Girardi and his staff took care of Aroldis. They built him back up mentally and psychologically. Being able to get those six outs in that last game against the team he failed against last year, looking every bit the bulldog he is, goes to Chapman’s credit. And Joe Girardi’s.

From Goat to GOAT

That was a long but natural process that paid off on Wednesday. But it took a spur of the moment decision to ensure that win.

Once again pushing the right buttons and re-mastering the moment, Joe called a rare team meeting on Saturday’s off day. He apologized for his mistake and reminded the team to play for just one win.

The team responded. Led by Todd Frazier, they played their heart and guts out for themselves as well as their booed and beleaguered manager.

When they did, they stopped being the coaching staff and their players; they became the Yankees. Not even the best team in baseball could withstand that.

And whether it was luck or perfect planning, almost every member of the team that Cashman constructed contributed to this amazing comeback win. It takes a team, and the Yankees proved they have a great one.

Consider that this team has now won four straight elimination games, and ripped the veneer off of Terry Francona. No longer will he be thought of as one of the best managers in baseball.

Because this win-soon team keeps winning now, while so many win-now teams have already gone home. The Red Sox, Indians and Nationals all pushed their chips to the center of the table for the 2017 postseason.

And all are now left to wonder what will happen to them in 2018 and beyond.

Running Towards Destiny

The Yankees, meanwhile, are still playing and planning to face another win-now team, the Astros. The series finds the Yanks caught between their past and future.

In an effort to get younger, allow their young talent to develop, and compete in 2018, the Yankees spent the last two seasons shedding veterans.

In an effort to capitalize on their already-developed young talent, and best pitcher (Dallas Keuchel) before he fades, Houston has been adding veterans in order to compete in 2017.

That’s why recent Bronx Bombers Carlos Beltran and Brian McCann will line-up against the Yankees in this series, instead of for them. And while Justin Verlander was never a Yankee, his inclusion on the Astros roster shows the subtle difference between the two teams.

Verlander could have been traded to the Yankees. They had better prospects. But Cash did not want to add an aging star, and more importantly his contract, while still shedding salaries. Verlander will be 35 in about a month, while Yu Darvish and Jake Arrieta are each 31; Alex Cobb is 30.

And that signing is the difference between a win-now team and one that hopes to win soon. That is one of the most interesting factors that could make the difference in this series.

But, Since They’re Already Here…

With that as just one important subplot, the two teams meet tonight and start a series to see who gets to try to win it all, now. Either team can win, although, the Astros are deservedly favored.

One note of interest to fans of both teams, and baseball itself. One big PR problem baseball has under other sports is that their best players do not often show up in its postseason.

Mike Trout has spent the last four years as the best player in the game. And the last four October’s on the couch.

Not this year. The top two players in the AL will spend at least four games sharing the same stage: Jose Altuve and Aaron… somebody. The one of them who performs best might be the difference in the series. And that’s exciting for everyone.

What is Past is Prologue

Before this series concludes, though, let me ask the Yankees a question, especially you young-ins. What was the difference between Alexander the Great and his greatest generals?

HInt: It wasn’t strength, or size, or skill.

No, it was belief. Leading the same army left behind after Alex’s father, Phillip died, any one of his generals might have led those Myrmidon-like warriors to magnificent victories.

But only Alexander believed he, and they could realize dreams undreamt of by mortal men. Only he knew for certain he could conquer worlds no one had heretofore conquered, powered by superhuman feats.

Before he accomplished any goals, before he was tested in battle, he already knew he would win. And it’s his belief that helped create a legend.

YES I Can

You Yankees can do that if you believe you can. You can go out and accomplish goals that only you believe are possible and find eternal playoff glory. Best of all, you won’t just carve out a legend; you will carve out a Yankees legend.

Because you have as much talent in your bodies as the Astros do, maybe more. We’ve already seen you perform Herculean tasks both during the season and in these playoffs.

You’ve slain your own personal demons and redeemed your playoff struggles, all while defeating the best team in baseball. That’s not easy to do.

But it doesn’t surprise your fans and observers. It gets harder every day for me to keep that line in these superfluous articles of mine. Because, like you dear readers, I’ve seen the big wins and big home runs.

Can I get a Witness?

I was at the ‘comeback game’ against the Orioles and the four day Red Sox beat down in early June. And I wasn’t there alone. Tens of thousands of friends and Yankees fans were with me, going wild.

Bonded by that and so many great experiences this season, we are bound together by this team more now than ever. Bound not just by what we have seen these Yankees do but what we believe they can still accomplish.

And that’s because one thing we all saw was this team play like the most destructive and dangerous team in baseball. And not just for a nice ten-day stretch.

No, we know they can out-hit, out-throw, out-hustle and out-think any team in the tournament. We’ve seen it. And we believe they can be that team for the rest of the playoffs.

The question is, do you Yankees believe it?