Yankees bashing Indians after struggling with O’s is infuriating

Is it possible for New York Yankees fans to be happy, just for one day?

Kind of. Sort of. But Friday night’s fireworks show only left us wondering: Where was this on Thursday night in Baltimore?

The Yanks team that came to play against Cleveland in a weekend showcase looked entirely different than the one that played innings three-through-10 in sopping wet Camden Yards in the finale of the previous series, a feckless game that threatened to set the tone for the stretch run.

Instead, the Yankees shrugged off that failure entirely on Friday in the Bronx, crushing five home runs against the Future Guardians, led by six shutout innings from Corey Kluber.

Amid a must-win stretch of 10 games against bad teams, the Yanks are now 4-1. Sure, they were a strike away from 5-0, but they were also a miraculous pair of rallies away from 2-3.

For as long as this season lasts, Yankee fans of all shapes and sizes seem destined to ask themselves why this whole process hasn’t been easier, and why every game against a team that no longer cares can’t look as simple as Friday’s contest, where the Tribe packed their bats in midway through the game and the Yankees socked five dingers.

The Yankees crushed the Indians on Friday. Where was this against Baltimore?

Joey Gallo’s on a bit of a heater, Ricky.

This series opener marked two more bombs for Gallo, his fifth and sixth in the past eight games, as well as one each for Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Brett Gardner, who busted things open with a three-run shot in the seventh and is definitely coming back again next year, right?

This was a low-energy squeaker for two hours and a laugher for the final 60 minutes. But…why? Why did it feel so much less intense than any of the previous three games? Why did the Orioles insist on play-acting like a real division rival this year, dammit?

John Means is an ace by any name. Chris Ellis, though, isn’t, despite his small sample size ERA. Zac Plesac is undoubtedly better.

On Friday, the Yankees did what good teams are supposed to do against moderately good pitchers: they pricked him a few times, they waited him out, and then they punished the middle of the ‘pen. In three games in Baltimore, the terrible O’s ‘pen looked like the White Sox back end.

We’re enjoying the win, but sorry, the dichotomy is going to stick in our craw for a while.

Friday showed what the 2021 Yankees can be. Unfortunately, it’s mid-September, and this might’ve been the fifth or sixth time we’ve seen it all year.

Yankees: CC Sabathia’s 18th birthday tribute to prospect son is awesome

Former New York Yankees ace CC Sabathia's tribute to his top prospect son Carsten on his 18th birthday is just awesome all around.