The New York Yankees are staring at another postseason deficit, and the way they got there feels painfully familiar.
New York committed three errors against the first four batters in the bottom of the first inning Monday night in Game 2 of the American League Division Series, immediately putting itself in trouble.
And one of those mistakes came with an extra layer of frustration.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. Defends Costly Throw After Yankees Error
Second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. tried to turn a highlight-reel double play that really never had much of a chance.
Instead, he airmailed the throw, allowing the first run of the game to score.
Asked afterward whether he would simply hold the ball if he had another chance, Chisholm didn’t hesitate.
“Honestly, I’d probably still throw it,” he said. “The play was trying to be made. I just feel like I could have probably tried to make an even better throw.”
So, there you have it.
No regret about attempting the play. Just regret about where the ball ended up.
And Chisholm even had a solution ready if the situation comes up again.
“Where I’d throw it, I’d try and throw it a little more closer to the base,” he said.
Yankees Defense Gives Cam Schlittler Little Help in Game 2
Cam Schlittler, the likely Cy Young Award winner, was not exactly dominating either.
He struck out only two batters and allowed plenty of hard contact throughout the night.
But the Yankees’ defense did him absolutely no favors.
Later in the first inning, Chisholm had another opportunity on a potential double-play ball and once again threw high.
That first inning set the tone, and the Yankees spent the rest of the night trying to dig out of a hole they had created themselves.
Yankees Face Elimination Pressure as ALDS Returns to Bronx
Now the series shifts to the Bronx on Wednesday night and it’s pretty simple…win or go home.
The Yankees need to win three straight games to keep their season alive.
That would also move New York within one year of matching its longest championship drought since 1923.
