Haven’t The Yankees Had Enough?

It seems the Yankees are a glutton for punishment. If 2006 and 2011 wasn’t enough, they decided to win tonight against the Baltimore Orioles, and will now try their hand at playing the Tigers in the playoffs in 2012. For Yankees fans, they will be hoping that the third time will be the charm. For Tigers fans, we know that our team has some warts, but after beating the Yankees the last two times the Tigers faced them in the playoffs, we certainly aren’t in fear of the almighty Yankees and their enormous payroll.

Oct 11, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Detroit Tigers celebrate in the clubhouse after winning game five of the 2012 ALDS against the Oakland Athletics at O.co Coliseum. The Detroit Tigers defeated the Oakland Athletics 6-0. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

It’s not the size of your payroll New York. It’s how you use it. Right now, the Yankees can’t entirely be comfortable with their team. While the Yankees do have a pretty good pitching staff, it isn’t intimidating by any stretch. Offensively A-Rod is doing his playoff choke thing, and Curtis Granderson has been descending down the batting order slowly but surely.

The Orioles, who don’t have near the starting pitching the Tigers do, just went through a series in which they quieted those mighty Yankees bats to the tune of 16 runs in five games. Five of those runs coming in the ninth inning of game one.

The Tigers offense struggled some against the A’s as well, but the A’s do have a strong pitching staff, and if there is one positive, Tigers sluggers Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder struggled and the Tigers still won. I don’t expect they will continue to do so. It’s not like they are Alex Rodriguez and have a long history of not performing well in the playoffs.

There used to be a time when facing the Yankees in the playoffs would send some teams crying to their mamas. It was like facing a big baseball beast with a foam bat. Ultimately, a team’s swings were futile to eventually getting rolled by the juggernaut. That’s not the case anymore, and it certainly isn’t going to be the case with the Tigers now.

The Yankees are the ones that are going to have to prove they can beat the Tigers in the playoffs. Recent history is in the Tigers favor. And history is exactly what I suspect the Yankees will be when this series over.

Tigers will win against the Yankees once again, and the third time won’t be the charm. While the Yankees will be trying to recapture the magic of the past, the Tigers pitching will be winning them the series.