Crapshoot? Part Two.

 

All right, so this one I came up with all on my lonesome, after the Yankees’ two latest, postseason blowouts.

 

For the sake of argument, let’s call a blowout any loss by five or more runs. By that criterion, how often have your New York Yankees been “blown out” in their playoff history?

 

By my count, a total of 38 times, on all levels of the postseason. (And yes, I’m counting the 1978 Yankees-Red Sox Armageddon Time as a playoff game, even if the insipid corporate entity known as MLB does not. So there!)  Just 38 times, out of the entire, 432 postseason games they have played in their history.

 

Let’s break that down. Back when men were men and sheep were frightened, your New York Yankees suffered only 7 “blowout” losses in the 165 World Series games they played—4.2 percent—between 1921 and 1964, in running the all-time greatest dynasty in North American sports history.

 

From 1976-1997, they suffered 9 more, out of 73 games, up to some 12.3 percent.

 

From 1998-the other day, with our second blowout of the Toronto series, under Brian Cashman’s direction, the Yanks got skunked in 22 out of 198 games, or 11.1 percent. 

 

Not so bad, right?

 

Let’s look a little closer.

 

From 1921 through the 2001 ALCS vs. Seattle, the Yankees WON 12 of the 20 playoff series in which they suffered blowouts, or .600 ball.

 

Ever since, from the 2001 World Series on, they have gone 1-11 in playoff series where they have suffered a blowout—and are about to go 1-12, which is .077 ball. The only exception was the 2009 World Series.

 

In other words, for most of their history, on those rare occasions when they Yankees suffered a blowout in a big game, it was usually because they were “recalculating” as Siri likes to say. Strategizing, saving pitching, what have you.

 

Under Brian Cashman, when they get blown out, they are usually hopelessly overmatched.

 

Is it unfair to just start his count from the 2001 World Series? 

 

Yes, it is. If you throw in the other series during which he was officially GM, his record goes up to 5-11, or .313.

 

For years and years, the Yankees calmly dispatched great teams in October, many of which they had not played against all season. John McGraw’s Giants, Branch Rickey’s Cardinals, Jackie Robinson’s Dodgers, Greg Maddux’s Braves—the New York Yankees beat them all. 

 

Under Brian Cashman, they are routinely crushed in the playoffs, and by teams they have almost always played against that same season. They lose because they don’t have enough starting pitching, or enough relief pitching—or both—or because they do not have players with the sufficient skills or savvy or character to win big games. 

 

They do not adjust, period. They have one way to play, and one way only. And I suppose that, some year, the dice might in fact somehow roll their way and they will eke out a miraculous win. 

 

But I doubt if we’ll be around to see it.