The New York Yankees is one of the teams that have a chance at winning the 2022 World series. They have been into the final 40 times and won it 27 times, the highest among MLB franchises. Their last win came in 2009 against the Phillies.
This year too the Yankees have a real shot at the World series. As Major League is entering the playoffs, the Bronx Bombers are hoping to ride on their offense led by Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole’s pitching to head to the ultimate glory.
Even though the Yankees started the second half of the season looking like a shadow of who they were in the first half, the team was able to recover and achieve good momentum while heading into the postseason. They appeared to be one of the most dangerous teams in baseball during the first half of the season. Despite their worst meltdown in August, the Yankees ended the series 99-63 powered by Aaron Judge’s record chase and a new momentum brought in by the youth. They won 20 of the last 28 games to head into the postseason.
The Yankees are still at the top of that list, but if they win the World Series in 2022, Aaron Judge might have the most reason to stay in the Bronx. The outfielder and AL home-run record holder becomes a free agent this winter. If Judge’s financial needs are met and he gets his first championship ring in New York, there’s no reason for the star to go anywhere else.
But if there’s one thing you can count on in baseball, it’s that the American League playoffs will be tough, and the team’s possible 28th championship is far from a sure thing.
The way through the ALDS series
The Yankees will know in the next three days if they are going to face the Tampa Bay Rays or the Cleveland Guardians. While manager Aaron Boone expects the Rays to challenge them in the Division Series, fans feel it will be easier for the Yankees to play against the Guardians. Many of them are wary of the Rays after seeing how Tampa tormented them during the regular season.
The Cleveland Guardians also boast some good pitchers like Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie. All of this is before we even talk about their offense, which has an emerging hitter Steven Kwan, a fast shortstop in Ahmed Rosario, and a dangerous power hitter in Jose Ramirez.
The Yankees have played the Rays 19 times this season, but they’ve only played Cleveland three times. Of those three games, the Guardians has won two. New York has a huge advantage in a possible matchup with Tampa Bay because they have played them before and have a strong offense. But a game against Cleveland is likely to make it tougher for the Yankees’ pitchers.
Even though they are 16th in the league in runs per game, Cleveland has a team that can put runs on the board. They’ve already shown that they have the tools to make things hard for New York, and if the Yankees’ pitchers make a mistake, they could easily get into trouble. Even though Cleveland has some great pitchers, New York’s offense has been looking great lately, thanks to some credible shows by Oswaldo Cabrera, Giancarlo Stanton, and Aaron Judge. The offense won’t have any trouble as long as they stay consistent against pitchers from Cleveland or Tampa Bay. They can overpower either the Guardians or the Rays.
Finding the way through ALCS
The Yankees may face the Blue Jays or the Mariners or the Astros. In Houston, they have the most likely and formidable opponents. The tussle will be something every sports lover want to watch. Still, odds favor New York going to be successful. Because of Houston’s 2017 cheating scandal, the history between these two teams has been widely publicized. While both teams look different in 2022, tensions have not subsided, and the series will be highly contetesed both on and off field.
While Houston’s offense has proven its worth, it is the pitching that sets them apart. It has one of the finest pitching departments in the American League, led by Justin Verlander, who appears to be the leading candidate for the American League’s Cy Young award.
The Yankees would undoubtedly struggle against Houston’s pitching, but if any offense is capable of defeating them, it’s only a team like the Yankees, who can take on the best of the best. Verlander and Framber Valdez could pose some challenges for a New York offense that relies heavily on the long ball for a large portion of its home runs. With 29 and 23 home runs, respectively, Jose Urquidi and Luis Garcia have contradicted this statement, indicating that the Yankees offense will have an easier time dealing with the lower half of Houston’s rotation.
However, as with the ALDS, the Yankees’ progress to the next round will be determined by their pitching prowess. Gerrit Cole has to demonstrate that he is the team’s ace with an outstanding performance. Luis Severino has been excellent since returning from inury, and Nestor Cortes had a strong September after a rough August.
Pitching to a team that has Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, and Kyle Tucker is troublesome, but if the Yankees can string together some excellent performances from their pitching stars, they could very well make it to the World Series.
Winning the World Series
It is going to be a Yankees vs. Dodgers rivalry. If Houston was a good baseball team, Los Angeles is a completely different beast. Both their pitching and offense are credible. Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and Max Muncy can take on any good team. The pitching is going to be great and the Yankees’ offense will face its toughest challenge of the season against a Dodgers pitching rotation that has allowed the fewest runs per game in the entire MLB.
With the second-best offense in the MLB, New York should be able to get the job done, but the concern is their pitching, especially when facing players like Betts, who has 35 home runs in 2022. If the pitching staff keeps the games close, the Yankees have a good chance of winning the World Series and earning their 28th ring.
What do you think about the Yankees’ chance of winning the World Series?
