After successful regular seasons where they both won over 90 games and were among the best teams in baseball, the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies fell short in the postseason again, losing in the Division Series this week to the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively.
Despite boasting potent, powerful and deep lineups full of sluggers, both teams were done by a lack of offense in October, drawing unwanted comparisons to the light-hitting Pittsburgh Pirates.
While two-time AL MVP Aaron Judge did his best to carry the Yankees, he simply didn’t get enough help from his teammates. Judge slashed .500/.581/.692 with seven RBI in seven games this postseason, but the rest of New York’s lineup hit just .220/.278/.340.
By comparison, the Pirates batted .231/.305/.350 this year while ranking last in MLB in runs, homers and OPS.
The Phillies had a similar issue against the Dodgers’ loaded pitching staff in the NLDS, hitting a paltry .212/.305/.350 with 38 strikeouts and just 29 hits in four games against the reigning World Series champs. Philadelphia looked a lot like Pittsburgh offensively, swatting only three home runs and scoring three runs or fewer in three of the four games.
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Both teams fell flat in their elimination games with their seasons on the line. The defending American League champs scored just two runs on six hits at Yankee Stadium, while the Phillies scored only one run on four hits in 11 innings.
While both teams beat themselves with costly fielding mistakes as well, perhaps they’d still be playing if they’d hit better this week. Offense is hard to come by in October, which is another reason why the Pirates need to upgrade their lineup this winter if they want to be a serious contender next season.
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Featured image via Kevin Sousa/USA TODAY Sports