MLB Postseason: The biggest losers of the past decade
By Bill Felber
The 10th biggest MLB Postseason loser, the 2018 New York Yankees.
The 2018 Yankees did not win the NL East – that honor went to the eventual World Champion Red Sox. But they did win 100 regular season games. After five seasons of existing in that nether world of 85 to 90 wins, New York emerged revitalized in Aaron Boone’s first season.
Giancarlo Stanton, who came over the previous winter in a trade with Miami, hit a team-leading 38 home runs and drove in 100 runs. In his second full season, Aaron Judge added 27 homers, matching center fielder Aaron Hicks, Didi Gregorius, and Miguel Andujar.
Rookie Gleyber Torres, acquired in 2016 as the price for the Cubs’ half-season rental of Aroldis Chapman, contrib. uted 24 homers to the team’s total of 267, an MLB high.
Luis Severino won 19 of his 27 decisions, and Chapman saved 32 games.
The Yanks entered MLB Postseason play as co-favorites with Boston and dismissed Oakland 7-2 in the wild card game. That set up a division series showdown with the Red Sox, who had won a narrow 10-9 regular-season series with New York.
In that division series, the clubs split the first two games in Boston before the Red Sox made a 16-1 Game 3 statement that they were the better team. The fourth game also went to Boston, this time 4-3 when Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel thwarted a ninth-inning New York rally from a 4-1 deficit, getting Torres to ground out with the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position.