There could have been two consecutive days with two Game 5s each. They would have been nasty pits of double-elimination guaranteed to make millions sad. We would have watched, possibly with a smoked turkey leg in each hand, screaming guttural screams at the baseball men who dance for our amusement.
As is, there will be just one Game 5 on Monday.
We’ll take it. Better than none.
The Yankees defeated the Guardians, 4-2, in a game that never really felt that close. There will be an elimination game at Yankee Stadium, and it will be very loud. Seems bad for the Guardians.
Except Game 4 seemed bad for the Yankees, at least in terms of vibes. On paper, the Yankees remain the stronger team, and the starting pitching matchup conformed to pre-game expectations in every way. But an elimination game, on the road, in front of a crowd filled with championship-hungry, drought-wilted fans, was daunting. Not only that, but it was just 24 hours after a brutal, stomach-melting loss of the highest order. Momentum was entirely on the Guardians’ side.
Then the Guardians threw some pitches, and the Yankees hit them, and then the Yankees threw some pitches, and the Guardians hit them, just not as often or as well.
Which brings us to that famous Winston Churchill quote: “Momentum schmomentum.” Look it up.
The Yankees weren’t rubbing pine tar on their bats and thinking about Clarke Schmidt vs. Clay Holmes. They were simply taking at-bats, throwing pitches and catching baseballs. Momentum schmomentum. Always and forever.
Remember this during the next playoff winner-takes-all game you’re stressing over. The Mets didn’t take the Red Sox in 1986 because everyone was still thinking about Bill Buckner and Game 6; they won because they came back from a 3-0 deficit in Game 7.
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