MLB News Starting With The New York Yankees

There’s not a much subtlety to the New York Yankees. You’re not going to see a lot of cute stuff from them in the way of the hit and run or squeeze bunts.

The Yankees hit the ball hard and far. They set a major league record this season with 267 home runs. Five players hit 27 or more homers, led by Giancarlo Stanton with 38.

In beating the Oakland Athletics 7-2 on Wednesday night in the American League’s wild-card game, the Yankees stuck to form. Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer in the first inning and the Yankees stretched the lead to 6-0 in the sixth inning as Luke Voit tripled in two runs with a shot to the fence and Aaron Hicks smacked a double, driving in another.

Stanton then put a ball in the seats in the eighth for the run that set the final score.

The Yankees advance to the AL Division Series where they play their old rivals, the Boston Red Sox, beginning Friday night, in a best-of-five set. They’ve never met in the ALDS.

The Thursday docket: The action is in the National League. The Colorado Rockies, coming off their 13-inning, 2-1 win over the Chicago Cubs, take on the Milwaukee Brewers at 5:07 p.m. ET. The Atlanta Braves meet the Los Angeles Dodgers at 8:37 p.m.

Friday is even more densely packed. In the AL, the Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros play at 2:05, followed by Rockies-Brewers (4:15 p.m.), Yankees-Red Sox (7:32 p.m.) and Braves-Dodgers (9:37 p.m.).

You like baseball? You got baseball.

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman