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Mike Francesa-style recap:
Alright folks, let’s talk about what we just saw at Yankee Stadium. I mean, what was that? You’re the Yankees — at home, in October — and you blow a 6–2 lead after fighting all the way back in the eighth? You tie it up, the crowd’s going crazy, you’ve got all the momentum in the world… and then you immediately give it back in the ninth on a sacrifice fly. You can’t make it up. You just can’t.
And listen — give Cleveland credit. They’re a tough, battle-tested team. They own the Yankees right now. They beat ’em in last year’s ALCS, they’re up 2-0 in this one, and it’s the same story every time: the Yankees make a little noise, and Cleveland comes right back and silences ‘em. It’s like the big brother holding the little brother by the forehead — swinging and missing at air.
Israel Fernandez — what a monster night. Three hits, two home runs, four RBIs. The guy completely took over the game. You can’t pitch to him right now. Every at-bat, he’s in control. He’s locked in. And the Yankees? They had no answer.
Saldana drives in the winning run in the ninth on a sac fly, and that’s it. Ballgame. Yankees go down again, and now they’re heading to Cleveland — down 0-2 — where the Indians are this close to slamming the door on ‘em again.
And let me tell you something, this is not about bad luck. This is about getting outplayed, period. The Yankees made three errors — three! — in a playoff game. That’s not championship baseball. That’s not even September baseball.
You can talk about the offense — sure, they woke up in the eighth. Miller hits a big homer, Rivera drives a couple in, Nicholson’s drawing walks like it’s his job — but you can’t win when your pitching collapses at every key moment. Schoeppen comes in and just gives it right back. You can’t do that against a team like Cleveland.
So now, here we are — Yankees in a 2-0 hole, going on the road, against a team that’s beaten them seven of the last nine postseason games. I’ll tell you right now — unless something dramatic changes in that dugout, this series is over. Cleveland’s got the swagger, they’ve got the bats, and most importantly, they’ve got the Yankees’ number.
You can’t fake confidence in October, folks. Cleveland’s got it. The Yankees don’t.
This series isn’t slipping away — it’s already gone.
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