The Yankees deserve credit for grinding out a 6-5 win over the Royals in Game 1 of the American League Division Series but the victory left a lot of open questions about the state of manager Aaron Boone's squad. It's too early for fans in the Bronx to panic about individual player's performances after one postseason game, but there are several issues to be aware of moving forward.
In fairness, it's going to be difficult for New York to correct any of these issues this postseason. Boone has some ability to tweak the lineup over the course of this postseason but substantive changes can't occur until the offseason.
The following postseason issues will influence how the Yankees look come Opening Day of the 2025 campaign. Here are some potential overreactions fans should keep an eye on as the playoffs roll on.
There's no bigger headline grabber in New York than Aaron Judge's postseason struggles. Going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Game 1 didn't help Yankees fans feel any better about their talisman's ability to carry the team to October glory.
This is not a one-game issue for Judge. His .206 batting average and OPS of just .758 in 45 postseason appearances show just how much he's struggled during his career when the stakes are at their highest.
The reality is that 45 games still isn't a statistically significant sample size when compared to the 993 regular-season games Judge has played in his career. It's likely a matter of when, not if, he breaks out and has a big series. The Royals can pitch to Judge at their own risk as this series rolls along.
Gerrit Cole did not have his best stuff against Kansas City on Saturday. He only managed to last five innings and gave up three earned runs against a pedestrian Royals lineup. Cole and everyone in the Yankees organization had higher expectations for his performance.
His average outing in Game 1 goes against the dominant numbers he's put up during his previous playoff outings. Cole has pitched in 18 playoff games to an ERA of just 3.05. There's no reason to think his postseason play will drop off precipitously at the age of 34.
It's very likely that Cole will get another chance to prove his playoff mettle as this story goes along and the Yankees can feel confident about their chances any time he takes the mound. One mediocre outing can't shake the team's belief in their ace.
Boone had a tough decision to make coming into this series about who to start in left field. He opted to go with Alex Verdugo over Jasson Dominguez largely because of the veteran's defensive chops.
Verdugo responded by going 2-for-3 at the plate with one RBI and one walk. That's great production for the No. 9 spot in the lineup. It's also a serious uptick over what Verdugo has been able to give the team all season.
The odds favor Verdugo's performance regressing to the mean as this series goes along. It's likely that Game 1 will represent his best outcome of the postseason. The Yankees should consider any meaningful offensive they get from Verdugo moving forward as a bonus. No one should be surprised if Boone gives Dominguez a chance to make his mark on the series in a future game.
