NYY News: Rekindling an old rivalry

10/03/2024 05:00 AM

Royals advance to face Yanks in ALDS; Yanks will wait on announcing Game 3 starter; Dominguez vs. Verdugo still up in the air for starting gig; first-time playoff players looking forward to Yankee Stadium environment

NY Post | Dan Martin: The Yankees know who their ALDS opponent will be at last, and it's a bit of an upset. The Royals are moving onto the Divisional Series after upending the Baltimore Orioles 2-0 in the Wild Card Series, taking one-run wins in both contests. Kansas City showed the value of winning the division and avoiding the three-game series, taking out the Yankees' rivals by suffocating their offense and setting up a postseason matchup that the league was all too familiar with back in the 1970s.

The Athletic | Brendan Kuty and Chris Kirschner ($): It was a no-brainer that Gerrit Cole had dibs on Game 1 of the ALDS, and it was a foregone conclusion that the Yankees would start Carlos Rodon in Game 2 as well, but they confirmed that for a fact on Wednesday. What did come as a bit of a surprise was the choice to forego naming a Game 3 starter until after Game 1 concludes, leaving both Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt up as options for the series-shifter going to KC. Schmidt, of course, could fulfill a starting or relief role for the team, and they likely want to see if they'll need him on hand in the bullpen before making the call.

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Speaking of calls to make, the Yankees still have one in left field. Jasson Dominguez was called up mid-September to replace the struggling Alex Verdugo as the everyday starter, but had some hiccups of his own to fight through, opening the door for either one to get the nod in October. Dominguez's overall numbers weren't very impressive but he did have a hot stretch with the bat and a good showing of his power, but he coupled it with a few too many defensive gaffes. Now we'll have to wait and see for who gets penciled in on Saturday.

NY Daily News | Gary Phillips ($): The Yankees missing out on the postseason last year means that they have a sizeable pool of players getting their first shot at it this week. Shortstop Anthony Volpe leads the younger names in this category that includes Dominguez, Austin Wells, and Luis Gil, but there's also the veteran Luke Weaver getting his first chance after a journeyman's career of missing out.