I saw this stat earlier and thought it was interesting.
I thought a trip down ‘not so happy’ memory lane was in order.
In 2005, the Yankees faced off against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in a five-game series. The series began in Anaheim with a Yankee victory in Game 1. The Angels evened the series in Game 2.
Heading back to New York tied, the team split again. This time the Angels won Game 3 and the Yankees behind a strong pitching performance by Shawn Chacon were able to force a Game 5 in Anaheim.
Game 5 was capped off by Bubba Crosby and Gary Sheffield crashing against the wall in right center field allowing two runs to score. The Yankees lost the finale 5-3 and the Angels went on to lose the ALCS to the eventual World Series winning Chicago White Sox who won their first title since 1917.
In 2006, the Yankees faced off against the Detroit Tigers. Again, it was a 2-2-1 format and it began in New York. The Yankees won Game 1, 8-4. After a postponement, Game 2 was rescheduled as a day game – I was there – and the Yankees lost 4-3. I had a perfect view of Jose Guillen’s go-ahead home run. It was awful.
The series shifted to Detroit where the Yankees couldn’t do much of anything, were outscored 14-3 and lost the series three games to one.
I really don’t want to write about 2007.
All I will say is: midges. Ugh.
They lost the series in four games and I was there to see the Indians celebrate that series win in Yankee Stadium. It was depressing.
Last year, the Yankees were matched up against Detroit again. Another 2-2-1 series that started here in New York.
Game 1 was postponed after play had begun in the first inning. Not a really smart move by MLB. Both team’s aces were wasted and the game had to resume the following day with Ivan Nova and Doug Fister taking the reigns from CC Sabathia and Justin Verlander.
The Yankees took the Game 1 resumption and lost Game Two to Max Scherzer.
With the series back in Detroit, the Yankees lost Game 3 to Verlander and had to rely on AJ Burnett to save their season in Game 4.
He did and the Yankees forced a Game 5 to be played back in New York.
With the season on the line, the Yankees fell to the Tigers 3-2 in Game 5.
So here we are, in 2012 and the Yankees have won Game 1 and lost Game 2 of the Division series. Of course, they are differences between the years we revisited and this year.
- For one thing, this series is a 2-3 format.
- The Yankees started on the road and are coming home with a split which means they have three games at home to win the series.
- It’s not 2005, 2006, 2007 or 2011. The team is different – even though some of the parts remain the same.
Of course, there is a chance the Yankees could continue the trend and lose the series – five-game series are alway iffy. A one or two game swing is a lot more dangerous than it is in a seven-game series. And history has shown that the better team doesn’t always win a five-game series.
On the other hand, I don’t want people to have it in their heads that this series is now a lost series because of this stat.
The games need to be played and we have three more to watch.
(Fixed an error, the 2005 Angels lost the ALCS, the 2002 Angels won the World Series.)
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3 Responses to A Look Back At The Yankees’ Recent Division Series Losses
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TIQ IQ
The Angels weren’t even in the 2005 World Series. The White Sox won it 4 games to none against the Astros
That’s right. I confused 2002 and 2005. I’ll blame old age for that one.
I fixed it.
in the meantime, game 5 last year was the prelude to the 2012 season as they lost game 5 by 1 run while having bases loaded w less than 2 outs and came away w/out a run, which makes the 1 run loss that much more shameful. This seemed to happen all season as most of 2012 was marked by mediocre play and extremely streaky hitting. The chief criticism was the hitting w RISP, with bases loaded, and w a runner on 3rd and less than 2 outs. A bizarre inability to score runs while simultaneously setting new home run record. 804 runs w record homers and they scored 900 runs many times in recent years w/out breaking home run records. They lost a plethora of games by 1 run in which they batted .100 w RISP and then yesterday losing by 1 run in a game in which they had the bases loaded w 1 out and couldn’t get a run.
Michael Kay, not exactly the most respected baseball annalist, made what was to me the most profound observation of the season. A Yankee hitter had just swung and missed at a ball out of the strike zone in a crucial situation and the consensus was that he should not be swinging as hard as he can w 2 strikes. So Kay states, “and no one in the dugout will say anything to him” and Singleton and Cone agreed. In other words, in the Yankee dugout, striking out swinging as hard as you can is ok no matter what the circumstance. man on 3rd, no outs…bases loaded no outs, close game, blow out…no matter what, just play your game. And as long as situational hitting does not exist, this team will lose 1 run games even though they might have had 10 runners left on base. Replace Grandy and Swish…bring back Suzuki w Gardner and someone new and change the make up of the offense.