Win more games than Tampa and then do better in Game Three.

The Red Sox were 8 games better than the Yankees and then the Red Sox steamrolled through the playoffs.

We don't need Wallace Matthews to tell us that.

The Yankees still won 100 games and may be poised for greater things.

Sorry, but MLB made the rules. The Yankees don't need to catch the Red Sox.

While the Red Sox dominated from beginning to end, how did you feel when Sanchez hit two dingers in Game Two and Severino was getting to ready start Game Three?

Did you think the Yankee had no chance?

Matthews said this was merely an "illusion." Easy to say after the fact.


Now let's take a gratuitous dig at Giancarlo Stanton:

"But the real end of the Yankees season came a lot earlier than anyone could have known. That was on Dec. 11, 2017, the day they decided to swallow the bait, trading Starlin Castro and a couple of minor-leaguers for Giancarlo Stanton and his $325 million contract, reduced just enough by the Miami Marlins’ contribution to keep them under the luxury tax threshold.

That move took them out of the running for J.D. Martinez, who two months later became a member of the Boston Red Sox."

Martinez was undoubtedly better than Stanton ... in 2018.

Not in 2017, though, and maybe not for the next 10 years.

Stanton was a disappointment and his all-or-nothing 212 strikeouts approach is not benefiting him.

But it was still .266/38/100 and a WAR of 4.0 (compared to Martinez's WAR of 6.4).