Yankees drop ALDS to Red Sox, bring 2018 season to a close

The 2018 season came to a premature end for the Yankees on Tuesday night, as the Bombers dropped the ALDS to the Red Sox three games to one. Once again, the team had no answer for the Red Sox’ pitching. Rick Porcello mostly breezed through the lineup, and Chris Sale helped patch the bridge to Craig Kimbrel. Meanwhile, Aaron Boone continued to show no interest in managing the bullpen. This game wasn’t one to write home about.

The loss sent the Yankees home for an early winter after a remarkably successful regular season. The club won 100 games, overcoming setback after setback. There were injuries, like Aaron Judge fracturing his wrist, and underperformances, such as Sonny Gray and Gary Sanchez. In the face of adversity, however, the team climbed to great heights, breaking baseball’s single-season team home run record, and producing Rookie of the Year candidates in Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres.

So, what comes next for the Yankees? Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman figure to have their end-of-year press conferences soon. Those are always fun, as they tend to not feature the standard management boilerplate. They clue us in to what actually happened during the season and shed some light on plans moving forward. There’s also the Arizona Fall League to keep fans happy, especially those interested in prospects.

As for Pinstripe Alley, we’re going to take the next few days to process the ALDS and the abrupt end to the season. Then, beginning next week, we’ll switch into our year-in-review coverage. That includes one of our favorite traditions, Yankees Roster Report Cards. Plus, we’ll make sure to have daily open threads so everyone can catch up with each other during the offseason.

I speak for everyone on the PSA staff when I thank you for joining us this year. We had a blast talking all things 2018 Yankees with you. It’s just a shame that the Bombers’ run ended so soon.