The slogan for the 2019 New York Yankees has become "Next Man Up." This is because we have had more injuries than any other team in baseball, yet we've OVERCOME our adversity and are playoff bound. Exactly how WELL we will do in those playoffs now is another matter, however!!
On the night the Yankees clinched the American League East, it was learned that our winningest pitcher, Domingo Herman, was placed on Administrative Leave by Major League Baseball for violating their Domestic Violence policy. He slapped a woman in the face, and, as far as I'm concerned, MLB is right to do what they did (most likely he will MISS the postseason). It's a HUGE blow for the Yankees, to put it mildly. German was our ACE.
My dear Grandmother, who died 20 years ago next week, told me many times that "A real man will never hit a woman" when I was very small. So, in one sense, replacing German on the roster is impossible...."Next Man Up" can't work because German has proven he is NOT a man!! But hopefully the returning LUIS SEVERINO, who was our ace LAST year (but spent most of THIS year on the Injury List), can fill the void German leaves. If he can't, well, then German's sin MAY WELL affect the Yankees' postseason chances.
And if the Yankees don't get far in the postseason again, well, they now have an EXCUSE. For the most part, pitching has always been VITAL in postseason and their star starter is FINITO this season. (He may NEVER come back, in fact...the Yankees already have ONE former abuser of women on their roster, their star CLOSER, Aroldis Chapman. They don't need to add their star STARTER to that list.)
On the other hand, if they win the World Series now DESPITE this loss (the most devastating one of all because it's not due to a PHYSICAL problem, but a SPIRITUAL problem), it will be all the more amazing. I tend to have my doubts, though, if winning it all rests on Severino doing what GERMAN did on the mound. Hard to forget how Severino DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TIME A CRUCIAL GAME AGAINST THE RED SOX STARTED LAST OCTOBER, and didn't have the proper warm-up time for his start. As I recall, we lost that game 16-1, and it makes me question Severino's desire to WIN, frankly.
See, in order to have "Next Man Up" you have to have enough MEN on deck...will Severino BE that man?? Maybe so...German took SEVERINO'S place as our ace this year, maybe Severino will be competitive enough to grab it BACK when the team needs him to do just that. Or maybe SABATHIA will pay us back for missing the postseason 4 years ago, due to his alcohol rehab. I'd like to see HIM have one more moment of glory before he retires, there no doubt HE could be the man, the NEXT MAN UP, but, at age 39, he's "not the man he used to be".....
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