SPORTS USA TODAY z THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019 z 3C
NEW YORK – If the Yankees don’t
have enough problems with the Astros,
they took a body blow Wednesday from
Mother Nature and suddenly are in real
trouble.
The Yankees, down 2 games to 1 in the
AL Championship Series, might not
even be able to return the series back to
Houston.
The rain that postponed Game 4,
pushing it back to Thursday, creates the
potential of having to play four consec-
utive games without an off day.
For a team that is built to win on the
strength of its bullpen, there now is a
huge pothole on the Yankees’ road to the
World Series.
And if the Yankees don’t have enough
worries trying to figure out their pitch-
ing strategy, look who’s lined up for the
Astros:
zGame 4: 2009 Cy Young winner
Zack Greinke, who went 18-5 with a 2.
this season.
zGame 5: Cy Young favorite Justin
Verlander, who went 21-6 with a 2.
ERA.
zGame 7: And Gerrit Cole, who is 19-
with a 1.59 ERA in his last 25 starts.
Certainly, anything and everything is
possible in the game of baseball, but
right now, you might want to beat the
rush and grab those Washington, D.C.,
to Houston round-trip flights for the
World Series.
The Amtrak commute is perfect for
New York.
The Yankees, who haven’t had a
pitcher last eight innings in a postsea-
son game since CC Sabathia in 2012,
suddenly have no choice but to abruptly
change their strategy.
They haven’t had a reliever pitch
three consecutive days the entire sea-
son, and only closer Aroldis Chapman
has done it in the past two years.
Now, they might need someone to go
all four games.
“I’m certainly open to them running
out there every day,” Yankees manager
Aaron Boone said, “but it’s something
that’s kind of always fluid with the dif-
ferent individual pitchers and how
they’re able to bounce back.”
If the Yankees’ starters can go deep
and provide innings, it will not only alle-
viate the stress of the bullpen, but likely
will reduce Boone’s blood pressure from
having to mix and match relievers for
nearly half of the game.
The only Yankees’ starter to last long-
er than five innings since 2012 has been
Masahiro Tanaka, who went six innings
in their 7-0 victory in Game 1 of the
ALCS. He will pitch Game 4 on regular
rest, with James Paxton scheduled for
Game 5 on Friday.
“We’re going to have to get some in-
nings out of our starters, there’s no
question about it,” Boone says.
“Obviously, Masa is coming off a real
good start in Game 1, so between him
and Paxton these next two days, they’re
going to need to give us some innings ifwe’re going to be successful.”
The Yankees’ rotation has thrown
just 26^1 ⁄ 3 innings this postseason, two
fewer innings than the bullpen.
The Astros’ starters, meanwhile,
have gone at least seven innings in all
but two of their eight playoff games.
It might have been fine for the Yan-
kees in the regular season, but after
needing to get nine outs in Game 1, 26
outs in Game 2 and 14 outs in Game 3,
the vaunted bullpen suddenly is show-
ing cracks.
“The more you see a pitcher the bet-
ter,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said,
“whether it’s in one game or playing a
team over and over. The more you see
them the more beneficial it is.
“It doesn’t make it easier to hit elite,
but it does give some comfort to the hit-
ter as you continue to mount at-bats
against the guy.”It certainly has taken its toll on Adam
Ottavino, who has been used in all six of
the Yankees’ postseason games. He has
faced 18 batters; 10 have reached base.
He has given up six hits and three runs
in just 2^1 ⁄ 3 innings, resulting in an 11.
ERA.
“I still think he’s got to play an impor-
tant role for us,” Boone said, “especially
against this Houston lineup. A lot of
their great players are right-handed
hitters.
“And just the way we’re built and set
up, he’s going to have to still get impor-
tant outs for us. I still feel like he’s capa-
ble of that.”
We’ll soon find out whether Boone
has the same confidence in him.
Maybe Ottavino’s struggles will lead
to Boone letting his starters go longer
and not being so aggressive with his
bullpen moves. He can’t afford to live
dangerously by staying with a starter
too long, and sacrificing a game, but if
the Yankees are going to have any
chance to win this series, someone is
going to have last longer than the beer
vendors in the stands.
“If we’re going to win this series, our
bullpen will still play a huge role, obvi-
ously,” Boone said. “But we’ve got to be
able to get a little bit of distance out of
our starters probably if we’re going to ul-
timately be successful in these next sev-
eral games.
“So that’s the balance you’ve got to
try and strike. We’ll do it the best we
can.”
As for the Astros, well, Hinch can sit
back, put his feet up and do it the old-
fashioned way.
Watch his starters go deep into the
game, turn to the bullpen in the late in-
nings, and then turn out the lights.
It has worked for 114 victories this
season, so no need to get cute with the
formula now.
He knows that for the Yankees to
reach the World Series for the first time
in 10 years they will have to win three
times in the next four days.
“I like our chances,” Astros outfielder
Josh Reddick said. “I’d love to close it
out right here.”
That rain falling from the skies in
New York might soon be champagne
dripping from the ceiling in the Astros
locker room.Mother Nature no relief for Yankees
Yankees manager Aaron Boone has had to make a lot of calls to the bullpen in the
ALCS.ROBERT DEUTSCH/USA TODAY SPORTSBob Nightengale
Columnist
USA TODAYWASHINGTON – In the hour before
the first pitch of Game 4 of the NL
Championship Series, Matt Kucinich lit-
erally looked like a big fish out of water.
Before the Nationals completed their
sweep of the Cardinals on Tuesday
night, Kucinich’s frame was covered by
a shark costume. Other fans settled for
fin slaps instead of high-fives. Through
the mouth of this Katy Perry-esque
“Left Shark,” Kucinich explained why he
looked like he was celebrating Hallow-
een a little too early at a baseball game:
Nationals reserve outfielder Gerardo
Parra.
“I was like, ‘Look, this guy is amazing.
He’s changing the culture of this team,’ ”
Kucinich told USA TODAY Sports. “I’ve
been watching since 2005, the whole
time they’ve been (in D.C.), and we’re
doing really, really well. We’re so used to
defeat. There’s something different.”
It starts with the looseness that is ap-
parent in Washington’s clubhouse and
dugout, in large part to Parra’s presence.
Starting pitcher Aníbal Sánchez said
Parra, 32, began making a positive im-
pact “since the first moment that he
stepped in the dugout.”
“I remember in L.A., he made his first
noise about, like, positive thoughts in
the clubhouse,” Sánchez said. “From
that moment on, we try to bring – like
try to have fun.
“This guy is unbelievable. He’s funny,
and he’s happy, and he brings all the en-
ergy to the team. I’m glad to have this
guy on the team.”
Fun they have had, especially since
the team recovered from a 19-31 start to
the season. They won a thrilling wild
card game and then defeated the mighty
Dodgers in the NL Division Series. Now
the Nationals have the NL pennant.
All along, the dugout dancing parties
after home runs hosted by Parra have
become a staple of the team.
Then there’s “Baby Shark” – the pop-
ular children’s song about a baby shark,
a mommy shark and a daddy shark and
a bunch of “doo doo doos.”
Parra used it as his walk-up song dur-
ing a slump because his 2-year-old
daughter “loves that song,” he told NBC
Sports Washington. By midseason, “Ba-
by Shark” fever swept through Nation-
als Park. Fans clapped like the “Gator
Chomp” while the song played over the
loudspeakers. A baby shark appeared
on the dugout railing as a quasi good-
luck charm.
It’s become a rallying cry and identity
point during the franchise’s first deep
postseason run. The team’s inclination
for a good time has rubbed off on the fan
base.
“It’s like, ‘Hey, I believe,’ ” Kucinich
said. “It really has to do with the culture.
The guys are having fun.”
The team’s laid-back attitude is also a
directive from the manager’s office.
Dave Martinez encourages the dancing- “You ever seen Stephen Strasburg
dance? It will make you laugh,” he said –
and he recognized the importance of let-
ting Parra assume the role as leader of
morale.
“I mean, it’s tough to not have fun
when he’s around,” Martinez said. “He
made a comment yesterday because he
was on ‘Intentional Talk.’ The first thing
he says, he goes, ‘Man, I nailed it. My
English was perfect. My name is no
more Gerardo, it’s Gerard.’ You can’t be
serious. You’ve got to laugh at him, but
he was dead serious. And he started go-
ing around the clubhouse saying, you
call me Gerard from now on.”
Between June 2-22, Parra was 2-
for-30 with 11 strikeouts in five starts.
Not only was Parra’s hitting suffering,
Martinez noticed, but his energy, too. As
the Nationals were finding their groove,
they were losing in the morale depart-
ment. So Martinez summoned the 10-
year veteran to correct course.“I said, ‘Your job is to bring the energy
every day. I don’t care if you’re 2-for-100.
Bring the energy,’ ” Martinez said. “Play
that music, get loud, and have fun.”
Parra snapped out of it and the Na-
tionals continued their run. Kucinich
got a photo with Parra and met other
members of the team after the wild card
victory, the first time he donned the
shark costume, which is now 2-0 life-
time.
“What else could you ask for?” he
said. “I buy a $55 costume on Amazon
and now I’m meeting Parra, right?”
Baseball, after all, is a distraction for
the masses.
“We’re not here solving the world’s
problems,” Martinez said. “We’re here
playing a baseball game.
“I want (the players) to have fun. I
want them to be loose.”
The fans and the Nationals prefer it
that way.‘Baby Shark’ craze, Nationals taking over DC
Chris Bumbaca
USA TODAY
Nationals fans wearing shark costumes have become commonplace since the team’s turnaround this season.
BRAD MILLS/USA TODAY SPORTSNFL