Trailing three video games to none within the ALCS, the New York Yankees might want to win four-straight video games in opposition to the Houston Astros to advance to the World Series.
Facing these seemingly insurmountable odds, the Yankees have turned to essentially the most unlikely of sources for inspiration.
Their rivals, the Boston Red Sox.
Back in 2004, the Red Sox have been in the identical state of affairs, in opposition to the Yankees themselves. But Boston someway pulled off the not possible, successful two video games in Boston earlier than successful a pair of video games within the Bronx, together with sport seven. That allowed the Red Sox to advance to the World Series the place they’d beat the St. Louis Cardinals, securing their first title since 1918, and ending the chants of “1918” that will rain down from the bleachers each time they visited New York.
Now, with the Yankees in that state of affairs, they’re turning to that sequence for inspiration earlier than a do-or-die Game 4:
Aaron Boone stated that Chad Bohling, the #Yankees’ psychological abilities coach, was sending round spotlight movies of the 2004 Red Sox this morning. Eduardo Perez additionally FaceTimed David Ortiz into Boone’s workplace pregame.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) October 23, 2022
As famous right here, the Yankees try to lean right into a message unfold by then-Boston first baseman Kevin Millar earlier than Game 4 again in 2004: “Do not let us win this one.”
Boone stated NYY director of psychological conditioning Chad Bohling circulated a 3 minute video of the ‘04 Red Sox comeback from down 0-3 in the ALCS among NYY coaching staff, shared with the players. Yes, it was at Yanks’ expense however emphasised Millar’s ‘Don’t allow us to win one’ message.
— Pete Caldera (@pcaldera) October 23, 2022
What is likely to be extra crucial for New York as Game 4 looms? Getting their bats going. The Yankees haven’t scored a run for the reason that fourth inning of Game 2, and have been shutout 5-0 in Game 3 on Saturday. Aaron Judge, who set a brand new American League single-season house run report this yr, has only a single hit in 12 at-bats within the ALCS, a single again in Game 2.
But Judge is just not alone in his struggles on the plate, because the New York bats have largely been silenced by Houston’s pitching. Astros pitchers mixed to strike out 30 Yankees batters within the first two video games of the sequence, and the Yankees scratched out simply three hits in Saturday’s shutout.
Unless New York will get these bats going, all of the inspiration on this planet they will draw from what their bitter rivals did to them in 2004 may not be sufficient.