Yankees Highlights: Bombers implode at every level in Game Four loss

The Yankees threw away their shot in Game Four. They had plenty of chances to blow this game open and even the series, instead they melted down in spectacular fashion—across every facet of the game, too. New York fell to Houston by a score of 8-3.

I have a massive headache, so pardon the disjointed nature of these thoughts. We’ll have a full recap at some point later.

Winner of the Game

Gary Sanchez finally put a ball into the seats; that was fun. He sent a Josh James fastball 403 feet in the bottom of the sixth for a two-run homer in the sixth inning,

I truly don’t know what else to say. Maybe Aaron Judge’s defense. This team is playing exceptionally poor baseball right now, and there are few bright spots to highlight.

Loser of the Game

Where to begin? The team’s regression into the 2018 Yankees with runners in scoring position stands out. The Bombers wasted every opportunity presented to them, including two bases loaded situations. Their at-bats were noncompetitive, and whenever an Astros pitcher went on the ropes, the Yankees refused to deliver a knockout blow. Notable culprits include Sanchez and Edwin Encarnacion.

Judge had a rough game at the plate. He’s taking his pitches and getting on base at times, but he he let numerous meatballs go right by him. The right fielder got off the hook when Zack Greinke tossed an 86 mph fastball down the middle, for what would have been a called strike. Instead the home-plate umpire erroneously called it a ball. The problem, however, is that pitch should have been in the seats. Frustrating.

Honorable Mentions: The team’s defensive meltdown deserves mentioning, as the Bombers couldn’t make even the most fundamental plays. Masahiro Tanaka and Chad Green each served up three-run homers. Adam Ottavino once again failed to record an out; he’s unusable at this point. Lastly, CC Sabathia came into the game in the eighth but departed with an apparent left arm injury. That should be it for the left-hander’s career, and it is the biggest bummer in this nightmare of a game.

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