playing the Blame Game in the Bronx

Oh, what a difference a week makes. The Yankees finished the season strong, grasping the best record in the American League. Many of their hitters were doing well and the pitchers were on a roll. Then the playoffs started and the whole lineup went into a prolonged slump, culminating in the most embarrassing postseason performances of my lifetime. Despite some excellent pitching, the Yankees could not figure out a way to score a run, other than the occasional late-inning homer by Ichiro and Raul Ibanez, and made the Detroit Tigers look like the greatest pitching staff the league has ever seen.

What happened? There is certainly a lot of blame to go around. Here are ten reasons why the Yankees lost the series.

1. Robinson Cano. Considering that the Yankees were unable to score any runs, you have to pin the most blame on their best hitter, Robinson Cano. The Yankees second baseman ended the season with nine consecutive multi-hit games, going 24-39 over that time. Then the playoffs switched on and his hitting switched off. In the ALDS, Cano went 1-18 and did not even work a walk. Including the last several games against the O’s, Cano got on base just once in 33 plate appearances, also obtaining the record for worst hitless drought in postseason history at 29 straight. He also loafed to first base every time. Tied in the sixth inning in Game 2 with a man on base, he hit a ball that the pitcher bobbled and still tossed softly underhand to first because Cano was just strolling casually down to first. An inning later he bobbled a routine play that let the go-ahead run score. The only intensity we see is him arguing a play at second base. Cano was never benched, and while he didn’t deserve to stay in there you have to win with your best or lose with your best. Cano is one of my favorite baseball players, but his performance this postseason was disgraceful and epitomized the Yankees failures.

2. Leaving them loaded. In Game 1, a game that eventually went into extra innings, the Yankees loaded the bases in the first, second, and sixth innings and failed to score a single run. That poor start cursed them the rest of the series.

3. Jeter’s injury. Not only did the Yankees lose Game 1, but they lost their captain and leader for the rest of the postseason to a broken ankle. The Yankees never recovered from that, playing without any spirit or fire, scoring just 2 runs the next 3 games.

4. Delmon Young. It's true, Detroit played in this series, too. The Tiger’s designated hitter knocked in a run in each of the four games, 6 RBI total. Batting after Cabrera and Fielder, Young was a key figure heading into the series and did what nobody on the Yankees could, get key hits.

5. Curtis Granderson. Can’t get much worse than this; the Grandyman struck out 7 times in 11 at bats and did not record a single hit in the series.

6. Girardi’s handling of third base/Eric Chavez/Alex Rodriguez. I understand that Girardi did not believe in Alex Rodriguez, especially against righties. He was 0-18 in the postseason against them and just 3-25 overall (all singles). But come on, he’s no worse than Eric Chavez. A-Rod’s replacement went 0-16 with 8 strikeouts, an error and one or two other misplayed balls. Girardi’s decision to bench A-Rod created such a media frenzy and distraction the whole week long. Alex Rodriguez received way too much blame for the loss. Of course, when he got his chance late in the closeout game he twice failed to get a hit. In the series, Yankees third basemen got 1 hit in 18 at bats.

7. All Tiger pitchers not named Jose Valverde. How’s this: in 38.1 innings that group gave up 2 runs. I blame it on an entire lineup going into a terrible slump for two weeks, but just like in 2006, everybody in the starting rotation pitched the game of their life against the Yankees in the playoffs.

8. Girardi’s handling of Phil Hughes. Yankees down 2 games to 0 facing Justin Verlander, Hughes was making one of the most important starts of his career. And then in the fourth inning after giving up the lead and then a walk, Joe came out, Hughes said he was fine, but Girardi took him out anyway with a “stiff back.” He was good enough to say, the next day, that he was available to pitch in Game 4. But when you already go to the bullpen with 21 outs left in the game, already trailing 1-0 to the best pitcher in baseball, the Yankee players looked deflated and defeated. Unless he has a broken ankle, how can you take your starter out in that situation?

9. C.C. Sabathia. Speaking of pitching, in an obvious must-win game, Sabathia getting an extra day of rest, the Yankees were counting on their ace to pitch like an ace. He immediately gave up a run in the first inning (and the way the Yankees were hitting, it seemed like it was 15-0), and couldn’t even make it out of the fourth. Sabathia has been a great Yankee, and maybe he was given too much pressure, but that is why he is making the big bucks. Here he was a big disappointment.

10. The Stats. Finally, it wasn’t just Cano, Granderson, and A-Rod. Here are the most staggering team numbers:
- Yankees scored in only 3 innings, failing to score in 36 innings.
- Yankees never held a lead at any point in any game in the series.
- Yankees hit a paltry .157 as a team, going 3-23 (.130) with runners in scoring position.

People will point to age as the reason they failed. But seeing that their five oldest players (Pettitte, Ibanez, Jeter, Ichiro and Kuroda) were the top performers for them in the postseason we can tell that was clearly not the case. Overall, it was the same things they struggled with all year that ended up causing their demise: an inability to get a big hit with men on base, Sabathia being far from a dominating ace, and a complete dependence on the long ball.