The Yankees lost Game Five.

There's no need to get defensive. There's no need to jump into the debate about the value of analytics. There's also no need to question the courage of the Yankees.

I'll make it easier:

• The Yankees would have lost Game Two anyway.
• The problem with the Game Two pitching move is that it jeopardized Game Four ... which the Yankee won anyway.

Why did the offense seize up in Game Five?

No one knows.

The same offense looked sharp all through the playoffs and even played some "small ball" throughout the playoffs. If sac flies count as "small ball."

Do the math. Runs scored in playoff games: 12, 10, 9, 5, 4, 5 ... and 1.

Of course, this optimistic evaluation ignores the ridiculous amount of strikeouts.