Yankees continue to own David Price as team evens ALDS

The Yankees continue to own David Price, which looms large for the remainder of the ALDS.

David Price’s inability to pitch effectively against the Yankees is well chronicled. So, after a disappointing New York loss in the first game of the American League Division Series, many fans saw Saturday’s game as an excellent opportunity to even the score.

With Price on the mound, the Bombers had every reason to feel confident they could take Game 2 in Boston, and they did.  The former Cy Young winner only gave his club five outs before manager Alex Cora pulled his starting pitcher. Aaron Boone’s team bashed two home runs (and scored three times) off Price en route to a 6-2 victory.

According to David Schoenfield of ESPN, with the loss on October 6, Price’s Postseason record fell to 0-9, and he maintained his status as one of the worst Postseason pitchers of all-time. The homer-happy bombers, Schoenfield writes, have hit 11 homers off the five-time All-Star this year,  a number that hasn’t been topped in 10 years.

In Saturday’s game, Aaron Judge continued his hot start to the playoffs with his third home run. Judge is slugging a whopping 1.417. Even Gary Sanchez, despite his notorious struggles, chipped in with two homers. Other than a slight problem with leaving runners on base, the Bombers offense is off to a good start this October.

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Saturday’s win was doubly sweet for Aaron Boone’s crew. With the series tied up at 1-1, the ALDS shifts to Yankee Stadium, where the Bombers add home-field advantage to an offense that is clicking. The Yankees are undefeated at home in the last two Postseasons. It’s easy to dream about how these next two games could go New York’s way.

However, the Red Sox can’t be taken lightly; there’s a reason Cora’s club won 108 games. The Yanks need to continue to play their best brand of baseball and fix some of the mistakes fans have seen through the first two games of the ALDS.

The series takes a day off on October 7 before it resumes on Monday night. Luis Severino will take the mound after a strong showing in the Wild Card game. Fans will hope to see a little more longevity from the ace of the staff, but it’s hard to complain about four shutout innings.

Boston will likely send out Rick Porcello to oppose the former Cy Young candidate. Porcello came out of the bullpen to help the Red Sox escape with a win Friday but he hasn’t started since September 30 (against the Yankees.) The former Cy Young winner’s 4.54 second half ERA isn’t too intimidating, but the Morristown, New Jersey, native is always capable of a dominant start.

Through two games, the ALDS has probably gone as well as most fans could have expected, given that Boston boasts one of the best teams in baseball. Hopefully, the Yankees will carry Saturday’s momentum into Monday night’s game.