Do Not Underestimate The A's!

So the regular season is now over. It’s hard to believe. I wish it would’ve come to a close with a better ending, and no I don’t even mean with a win.

Sure, Saturday was great. I can’t argue with the 100th win or setting an MLB single-season HR record but Sunday was different. The last nine innings of the regular season were pretty ugly. Aaron Judge, Luis Cessa and Brett Gardner all committed fielding errors in the Yankees loss to the Red Sox.
The three errors were two shy of the season high, which is the five they made against the Astros on May 29 in a 6-5 Yankees win in extra innings. The four hits the Yankees had all game also didn’t help their cause.

Sunday’s game really was meaningless considering the Yankees had already clinched everything they could. They had a Wild Card and they had home-field advantage so there was nothing else to accomplish in order to get to the postseason. The only thing that was left, was pride and going into the Wild Card with momentum.

Wednesday is coming fast, and the Yankees had nice moments this season, but so have the A’s. This isn’t the same Oakland team and no one should underestimate them. The Yankees got the home-field advantage that they wanted….but the A’s also got what they wanted.

The 97-win Oakland A’s are an incredible road team. On the road, they are first in home runs with 133, first in runs (439) and second in batting average (.263) and third in on-base percentage (.332). Home-field advantage for the Yankees, is not a disadvantage for the A’s…..and Oakland knows this.

In fact, Oakland power hitter Kris Davis has called his team “Road Dogs” which is a term they adopted for themselves early in the season. It caught on, gave them motivation and stats show it has worked. Playing in the Bronx may not be as intimidating for the A’s as some other team. The A’s are a home run hitting team, and will be ready for hitter friendly Yankee stadium.

The one area of weakness that the Yankees need to be ready to attack is starting pitching. The A’s have been crippled by injuries, but they have a deep bullpen like us. The A’s may not have the token starter for the game, and it may be a long bridge of relievers. No matter what the A’s decide to throw the Yankees way….they need to be ready for it and let their own powerful offense outmatch them.

The aren’t the same A’s of old. Never underestimate your opponent and the A’s are no ordinary opponent. Home field isn’t necessarily an advantage, and this is no walk in the park for the Yankees. This is it…..survival of the fittest. This is for all of the marbles and the Yankees better come out swinging and Aaron Boone better have his game face on too.

–Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @Nyprincessj