MLB Playoffs Previews: The New York Yankees

The New York mets may have missed the playoffs, but the New York Yankees surged in the second half to win the AL Wild Card spot. The Yankees finished only 2 games back from the Boston Red Sox in the American League East with a 94-68 record. They won the wild card by 6 games.

The Yankees were led by MVP candidate third baseman Alex Rodriguez . Rodriguez led the major leagues in home runs with 54, RBIs 156, and runs scored with 143. A-Rod as he is nicknamed also hit .314 for the season. A-Rod was not the only weapon for the Yankees on offense as two other players also had more than 100 RBIs a piece. They were outfielders Hideki Matsui (.285 25 home runs 103 RBI) and Bobby Abreu (.283 16 home runs 101 RBI). Three other starters hit over .300 for the Yankees. They were catcher Jorge Posada (.338 20 homers and 90 RBI) who led the team in hitting, shortstop Derek Jeter (.322 12 homers 73 RBI) and second baseman Robinson Cano (.306 19 homers 97 RBI).

Pitcher Chien-Ming Wang was second in the majors in wins with 19. Wang went 19-7 with a 3.70 ERA. Wang and 15 game winner Andy Pettite (15-9 4.05 ERA) anchor the starting rotation. The Yankees hope future hall of famer Roger Clemens (6-6 4.18) and struggling veteran pitcher Mike Mussina (11-10 5.15 ERA) can provide quality starts in the playoffs for New York. Other wise the Yankees will have to count on rookies Phil Hughes (5-3 4.46 ERA) or Kei Igawa (2-3 6.25 ERA) to step up.

The bullpen is anchored by the legendary Mariano Rivera (3-4 3.15 ERA) who had 30 saves for the Yankees. Rivera is 8-1 with 34 saves in the post-season for the Yankees. Louis Vizcaino leads the bullpen with 77 appearances and is forth on the team with wins with 8. Louis is 8-2 on the season with a 4.30 ERA. Rookie Joba Chamberlain has been amazing out of the bullpen with a 0.38 ERA. Joba is 2-0 with 1 save.

The Yankees have a veteran manager in Joe Torre who knows how to win. The team has an incredible offense that can produce runs. The Yankees need contributions from their veteran and rookie pitchers to go far in the major league playoffs. The Yankees face the Cleveland Indians in the first round of the American League Playoffs.

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