Let’s begin on the right foot…hit it Sterls!

Ahhhhhhhh that feels good! The Yankees have joined the crosstown rival Mets on the run to the league Championship series as they eliminated the Royals in four games. Thursday nights 3-1 win was more of the same in this series, a tight contentious battle that the Yankees ground out. This group has been strong on the road for some time now, so it should come as no surprise that they did the job in KC. This really became a series that the Yankees won with contributions from everyone. Everyone from Aaron Judge to Jon Berti did something, big or small, to outlast the Royals, a credit to this group.

From a position player standpoint, Giancarlo Stanton was by far the most impactful. Yes Alex Verdugo had a big game one, Juan Soto had a solid all around series, as did Gleyber Torres. But Stanton’s performance in the ALDS was just another in a long line of big playoff performances by him. His home run and three RBI’s picked up the slack for a scuffling Aaron Judge and continued number 27’s ascension to the elite ranks statistically. Stanton’s now averaging a playoff home run every nine at bats, the only player in history with a better average…Babe Ruth. Sure Stanton helped lead the charge on offense, but it took some big time pitching too. Especially from the bullpen!

Luke Weaver and his running mates had a brilliant series against the Royals. For a unit that struggled at times throughout the year, Aaron Boone is all of a sudden blessed with a variety of options in the pen. Cousins, Hamilton, Kahnle, and Hill all did their part on the mound. But the much maligned Clay Holmes excelled in a middle relief role and eventually as the set up man in game four. Holmes helped pass the baton to Luke Weaver, who has taken the closers role and run with it. The work the Yankee pen did was vintage 90’s dynasty stuff and should make anyone feel confident going into the next round.

The pen was asked to do a lot at times in this series but not to be outdone, Yankees starting pitching got involved as well, especially on the road. Clarke Schmidt threw the ball well in game three, but the bigger story was Gerrit Cole in game four. Number 45 took the ball with a chance to ice the series and perform like the ace they expect him to be, and he absolutely delivered! He gave up just one run in seven innings of work while striking out four and allowing six hits. This was the kind of bounce back from a shakey game one the Yanks needed from their ace who will look to keep it going in the ALCS.

The Yankees can enjoy the weekend off as they get ready to take on the winner of the Guardians and Tigers series. I’m not going to get into which matchup is better or who the Yankees should want. This team is good enough to win it all, and hasn’t even hit top gear yet. With an offense that hopefully picks it up and home field advantage behind them, the Yankees have no excuse this year at all, it’s time to go get it done. The ALCS will start Monday night in the Bronx, joining an already jam packed Monday slate of New York sports. Sit back, stay calm, have the remote ready, and enjoy the action.

Monday October 14th

• Mets at Dodgers of Padres, game two of the NLCS at 4:08 ET
• Red Wings at Rangers at 7 PM
• Tigers or Guardians at Yankees, game one of the ALCS at 7:37 PM
• Bills at Jets at 8:15 PM
• Islanders at Avalanche at 9 PM

Monday should be special in this town, let’s hope it goes well for all the locals. The vibes around New York sports have never been better, at least not in my life time and I can’t wait to see it what’s ahead! None of us want the fun to end and who knows, that fun may require riding the Subway a whole lot more, with a lot on the line. One game and one series at a time for now though folks.

You can find Nick on Twitter @YNWA9623, Mike @Mike_Sheerin, Tyler @TMon_19 and Sean @SeanMartinNFL. Subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Check out our Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content. Our fall of podcasts are available on Spotify. Visit the Rangers Ed Shop by clicking the link on our homepage. The store is live, and Little Ed has been in the lab cooking up some can’t miss items for you fans. Check out our mailbag page to join the conversation here on the site and on our partners show, The Rangers Ed Podcast! We’ll be back with more soon!