Sports Time Radio

When baseball was in spring training and there looked like there would be a 162 game season there where a lot of people predicting that we’d see the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees in the World Series.

Well as we all know we didn’t get anywhere near a 162 game season and had to settle for an abbreviated 60 game season with expended playoffs.

Now this shortened season didn’t affect the Dodgers at all as they posted the best record in Major League Baseball at 43-17 and rolled through the first two rounds of the playoffs sweeping the Milwaukee Brewers in the wild card round and the San Diego Padres in the NLDS.

Unfortunately for the Yankees they dealt with about as many injuries as any other team did in the 60 game season. Luckily they got most if not all of their players back to get themselves into 2nd place in the AL East and after a wild card round wipeout of the Cleveland Indians it looked like the Yankees where back to being the team that people had predicted to go to the World Series.

Well those predictions turned out to be wrong as last night the Yankees where eliminated from the playoffs by the Tampa Bay Rays 3 games to 2 in their ALDS series.

The first four games in the series where high scoring as the team combined for 41 runs over those four games, but last night was different. Maybe there where some nerves being that it was an elimination game or maybe the pitchers where just pitching really well, but there where just 3 runs scored as Tampa Bay won Game 5 2-1 to advance to the ALCS to face the Houston Astros.

Both of last nights starting pitchers where coming back to make the Game 5 start on short rest. The Yankees turned to their Game 1 starter Gerrit Cole while the Rays went with Tyler Glasnow who was coming back on just 2 days rest. In today’s baseball this is a rarity and you had to wonder how many innings either starting pitcher could give his team.

As it turned out Cole gave the Yankees 5 1/3rd innings of 1 hit baseball; that hit was an Austin Meadows home run to tie the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the 5th inning. Cole also struck out 9 while walking 2 in his start.

It should come as no shock that Glasnow pitched just 2 1/3rd innings. Don’t forget that the Rays have used an “opener” many times and while that’s normally a reliever in that role coming back on such short rest that role really fit Glasnow here. Now Glasnow kept the Yankees off the scoreboard as he allowed no runs and no hits while walking 2 and striking out 2 while he was in the game.

Nick Anderson was the first of three Rays relievers to coms into the game and he surrendered the Yankees only run; an Aaron Judge home run in the top of the 4th inning to give the Yankees the lead at 1-0.

After the Rays tied it up the Yankees went to Zack Britton out of their bullpen and while he did give up a hit and walked a batter he allowed no runs and struck out 2 in his 1 1/3rd of relief.

Anderson gave the Rays 2 2/3rds innings of relief and then they went to Peter Fairbanks who held the Yankees in check for 2 innings and kept the game tied at 1-1.

In what may be looked at as a little bit of a surprising move the Yankees brought in closer Aroldis Chapman in the bottom of the 7th inning to get the final out; which he did, but you had to wonder how long they’d leave Chapman in the game. It’s rare in today’s game that a closer pitches more than one inning, but this is something Chapman has done before.

After Diego Castillo held the Yankees in check in the tp of the 8th inning Chapman returned to the mound to try and keep it a tie game. It took Chapman just two pitches to get the first out of the inning on a ground out to the shortstop. The second hitter for the Rays that inning was Mike Brosseau. https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/brossmi01.shtml Chapman quickly got ahead of him 0 and 2. The next two pitches where balls to even the count at 2 and 2. Brosseau fouled off the next two pitches before taking another ball to make it a full count. Two more foul balls led to the 10th pitch of this at bat which Brosseau lined over the left field fence for a home run and a 2-1 Tampa Bay lead.

Now the Rays still needed three outs to advance to the ALCS and the question would they turn to a Blake Snell or Charlie Morton who where both waring up in the bullpen; not to start the inning as Castillo headed to the mound.

Giancarlo Stanton led off the 9th for the Yankees and after taking the first two pitches for balls he then looked at the next three which where strikes and he was the first out of the inning. Luke Voit was next for the Yankees and he took the first pitch for a ball. Voit also took the second pitch which as a called strike. Voit then swung and missed the next two pitches for the second out of the inning. Now it was all up to Gio Urshela to try and keep the Yankees season alive. Urshela swung at the first pitch and hit a line shot down the 3rd baseline, but Joey Wendle had him played perfectly and was able to snare the line drive before it down into the leftfield corner for the final out and the Rays where headed to the ALCS to face the Houston Astros.

What I’d like to know is; do you consider this an upset? The Rays won the AL East and had the best record in the American League (40-20) over the 60 games season, but there where a lot of people who had picked the Yankees to go to the World Series. Where do you stand on this?

While baseball moves into it’s championship series the NBA was just one Los Angeles Lakers win away from that season being over. Well the Miami Heat had other ideas.

Jimmy Butler recorded another triple-double; 35 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists as well as adding 5 steals as the Heat avoided elimination with a 111-108 Game 5 victory.

The Lakers had their chances to win this game late. With 7.1 seconds left Danny Green missed a 3-pointer, but Markieff Morris grabbed the offensive rebounds. Unfortunately Morris threw the basketball out of bounds allowing Miami to take possession with 2.2 seconds left. Tyler Herro was quickly fouled and he stepped to the free throw line and made both of his free throw attempts giving the Heat a 3 point lead at 111-108. LeBron James heaved up a 40 footer as time expired, but was nowhere close to making it as the Heat picked up their second win of the series.

Now the Lakers are still clear cut favorites to win the NBA title, but they’re going to have to wait to Sunday to try and finish off the Heat. Game 6 is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. on ABC Sunday.

Are you watching the NBA finals? Because no one else is.

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