Two lessons from postseason the Yankees need to take into ALDS

The Yankees need to let the starters ride

The Yankees battled back from a game one loss to triumph over the Red Sox in the final two games of the series, in large part due to phenomenal pitching. 

The story of the series was no doubt the show-stopping performance from Bombers' rookie Cam Schlittler. Boston had no answers to the fireballing righty, as he struck out 12 Red Sox over eight shutout innings of work. New York excelled in Game 3 by riding on the back of their rookie starter to advance, but this was not the case in Game 1. 

Yankees ace Max Fried was going toe-to-toe in one of the best pitching duels of the year against Boston's towering lefty in Garrett Crochet. The two were exchanging dominant innings, with Fried taking a one-run lead into the seventh inning. Fried was then taken out with one out and nobody on for Luke Weaver, who would then give up the lead to Boston.

This was one of the controversial managerial decisions made by Yankee manager Aaron Boone, which he would go on to change in the following days by extending Carlos Rodon and Schlittler's leashes on the mound. 

In a season where the Yankees' bullpen was supposed to be so dominant, it hasn't been. The pitching talent that they had acquired through the offseason and at the trade deadline has been a constant question mark for the majority of the season, posting quality outings some days and terrible performances on others. If the Bombers want to go far in the playoffs, they will need to heavily rely on letting their starters go deep into games to delay getting into their bullpen early on.

The Yankees should play the best nine

The Yankees have enough depth and platoon bats to make a different lineup for every pitcher against any team in a series, but it comes down to having the best tools on the field at all times in the playoffs.

During their game one loss to Boston, the Bombers sent out a righty-heavy lineup to combat the lefty Crochet on the mound. Due to the nature of the batting order, key bats such as Ben Rice and Jazz Chisholm Jr. were left on the bench. 

This second controversial move was patched up during games two and three of the series, as Rice and Chisholm showed exactly why they should never be out of this postseason lineup. 

Rice smashed a go-ahead two-run homer on the first pitch he saw after being re-inserted back into the starting lineup, while Chisholm used his glove and speed to save a run on a phenomenal diving play and score the winning run from first base on a single by Austin Wells. 

While creating lineups to counter the opposing team's pitching matchup can be a great way to gain an advantage, certain players, such as Jazz and Rice, play a key role in keeping this Bombers team firing on all cylinders.

The Yankees have high expectations set upon them almost every year, but arguably none more than this season. After coming so close to achieving a 15-year goal in 2024, this new and improved Yankee roster is looking to make it all the way back to the big dance. 

With several takeaways from this intense wild-card series between two of the biggest rivals in all of sports, the Yankees will take the next step in their quest to return to the World Series, as the Bombers start their Division Series matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday.