Yankees beat Boston, but it’s early troubles in Tampa
When football season started back up in September, it’s hard to blame the general sports world for putting baseball in the rearview mirror. Football is king in this country, after all. But now that the calendar has flipped to October, there are no excuses to not tune in.
That’s especially the case whenever the Yankees and Red Sox play against each other in the postseason. The rivalry has produced many memorable moments this century alone. Aaron Boone’s walk-off home run in the 2003 American League Championship Series. Boston’s comeback from a 3-0 deficit in the following year’s ALCS. Cam Schlittler announcing himself on the big stage during last year’s Wild Card series decider.
This most recent matchup, however, will not be remembered as an instant classic. In Boston’s case, they’d like for this Wild Card series to not be remembered at all.
In what was expected to be a tight, flip-of-a-coin series, the Yankees produced back-to-back dominant victories to send themselves to Tampa Bay for the American League Division Series. In fairness to Boston, you couldn’t blame their starting pitching for their downfall. Tuesday’s series opener saw Payton Tolle only allow one run through nearly five innings of work. But his opposite Schlittler was an entirely different beast, tossing another playoff gem against the Sox with 6.1 innings of shutout ball with two hits and 10 strikeouts.
One Massachusetts native wasn’t enough to help take Game 1, so how about two? Ben Rice had a monster night at the plate, going 4-5 with two home run—including a grand slam in the eighth inning to add insult to injury—and six total RBIs. George Lombard Jr. had impressive postseason debut with three hits and two runs, while Austin Wells had a two-hit night to help the Yankees prevail 9-0.
Wednesday night played out eerily similar: strong starting pitching from both teams followed by the Yankees’ bats getting to the Red Sox bullpen. Before then, they did get a couple runs off of Sonny Gray, who virtually everyone thought was going to have a revenge game against his former employers after taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning against them back in June. But a Luis Garcia Jr. solo shot and a Cody Bellinger RBI single spoiled his return to the Bronx.
The Red Sox pulled the emergency lever by bringing in Garrett Crochet, whose campaign has been marred by injuries. In his first appearance since April 25, he allowed four runs while failing to record a single out. Another Garrett (Garrett Whitlock) couldn’t put out the fire, allowing a three-run homer to Bellinger as part of a six-run sixth inning. More pandemonium at Yankee Stadium ensued as that all but confirmed their spot in the ALDS.
It undoubtedly feels euphoric to lay quite the beatdown on your bitter rivals when the lights are bright. But there’s still plenty of work to be done in the chase for a 28th World Series title. Down to Tropicana Field the Yankees went on Saturday night for Game 1 of the ALDS, and it went exactly as expected.
The Yankees have historically struggled against Drew Rasmussen, though they did shellack him when they faced him in July, scoring six runs off the righty and knocked him out in the third inning. But it was back to old habits as they struck out 11 times and were no-hit through 7.2 innings.
Now let’s focus on that hit, because old habits clearly die hard for the Yankees. In Austin Wells’ case, they don’t die at all. It was another baserunning blunder for the Yankees as Wells tried to stretch out a double into a triple, only to be thrown out by a country mile. It surely gave fans scarring flashbacks to the 2024 World Series with the multiple mental mistakes that the Yankees made against the Dodgers.
The only reason that they were still in the game despite their offensive woes was the pitching of Gerrit Cole. Yes, he gave up a home run to Jonathan Aranda, and that ended up being the difference in a 1-0 loss. Yes, Cole being susceptible to the long ball was a concern heading into the playoffs. But there should be zero Yankees fans blaming him for the defeat. Apart from the one small mistake, he had five solid innings of five-hit and five-strikeout ball, and the combination of Ryan Weathers, Paul Blackburn and Brent Headrick didn’t allow a single hit.
So it’s back to Schlittler on the bump for what feels like a must-win Game 2. If the Yankees can take tonight’s game, then they’ll be much more confident in their ability to finish off the series at home. If they let it get to a Game 5 back down in Tampa Bay, I’d be a lot more worried given their struggles inside the Trop.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the elephant in the room: No Aaron Judge. He was left off the roster for the Wild Card series and has not made the cut yet again for the ALDS due to a right calf strain. Maybe the Yankees can pull a 2021 Braves and win the World Series without their superstar hitter? Wishful thinking, I know.
4 local college football teams on the road, 4 wins
It’s pretty rare when there are no local college football games to attend on a given Saturday. But that was case over the weekend as Cornell, Ithaca, Cortland and Syracuse all hit the road. Luckily for all four teams, they came back to their respective towns with a “W” in their grasp.
Starting with Cornell, they ventured to Georgetown that felt like it would be a tough test despite their opponent’s 0-3 start. If you look closely, the Hoyas lost their last two games by three points, most recently a 20-17 overtime defeat to Columbia. They also had their season-opener against Lafayette cancelled at halftime due to lightning as they were up 13-7. Suffice to say, they’ve been unlucky.
But the Big Red made sure their winless run would continue. They got off to a hot start with a 14-0 first quarter lead, including a double-pass play where Brendan Lee connected with Ty Doughty for a 33-yard score on their opening offensive drive. The Hoyas got a TD back in the second quarter to slice the deficit in half heading into the halftime break. But the Big Red was undeterred, rattling off 21 unanswered points en route to a 35-14 victory.
Garrett Bass-Sulpizio once again looked poised under center. He was sharp through the air, completing 20 of 27 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for another two scores. His four total touchdowns is a career-high for the senior quarterback.
Bass-Sulpizio’s favorite target was Samuel Musungu, connecting with his fellow senior six times for 91 yards and both of his passing TDs. I was waiting for Musungu to have a breakout game with all the preseason All-American hype after missing all of last season with an injury, and he more delivered on that front.
The Big Red (2-1) is back home on Saturday to battle #25 Harvard.
Cortland had the most highly-anticipated matchup on their conference slate as the 16th-ranked Red Dragons flew to #21 Utica. In a battle of unbeatens, Cortland handed the Pioneers their first blemish on the year with a 31-21 decision. Like the Big Red, the Red Dragons started off strong by scoring the first 21 points of the game. Ethan Gallo scored all three touchdowns in goal-to-go opportunities despite rushing for a season-low 49 yards.
The Pioneers got on the board to make a 21-7 game, then picked off Mike Rescigno. Momentum was shifting their way, especially if they could punch it in from just one yard out on fourth and goal. Instead, Nazair Jean-Lubin happened. The preseason All-American came up clutch with a 100-yard pick six to restore the Red Dragons’ lead to 21 points after the halftime break.
Instead of a massive 14-point swing that could have helped Utica pull off a comeback, Cortland was able to see out the victory. While there was no scoring in the third quarter and the Pioneers outscored the Red Dragons 14-3 in the fourth quarter, it was too little and too late. Cortland wins its 36th straight game against an Empire 8 opponent.
The Red Dragons (5-0) are off this week and will be back in action next Saturday at Alfred.
Ithaca had a bit more of a scare in their road contest at Hobart. The Bombers coasted through the first half with a 20-3 lead heading into the break thanks to the usual suspects: a Chris Scully 2-yard rushing TD and a Nicholas Lang 21-yard receiving TD, the latter getting his sixth score of the season.
The Bombers got the ball to start the second half, and another touchdown could’ve put the game on ice. But after punting it away, the Statesmen responded with a 99-yard touchdown to make it 20-10 and knocked through a field goal in the opening minute of the fourth quarter to get it down to a one-score game.
The Bombers could have easily collapsed with the Statesmen holding all the momentum. But Ithaca maintained its composure, as Scully found the end zone again on the ensuing drive to put the Bombers up 27-13. Hobart scored another TD and forced the Bombers to punt, getting the ball back at their own nine-yard line with 1:50 to go. They would only get to their own 43-yard line before the Bombers’ defense stood strong yet again to force a turnover on downs to secure a close 27-20 victory.
Whether it’s by one point or 100 points, a win is a win. Ithaca (4-1) returns to Butterfield Stadium on Saturday to entertain Rochester.
Then there was Syracuse. Fresh off a bye week and reeling after back-to-back losses to ACC opponents, the Orange renewed its rivalry at UConn. The Orange has won seven meetings against the Huskies, and it seemed like they would make it eight in a row after building up a 34-14 lead early in the third quarter. But things soon started to unravel.
Amari Odom got the nod under center after Steve Angeli’s troubles in the previous two games. After starting off the game red-hot with five total touchdowns, he came back down to earth with two interceptions. That helped the Huskies get back in it and eventually tie the game at 34-34. One of those picks came after UConn tied it up, but the Huskies turned it over on downs. The Orange took over and drove down to the Huskies’ 25-yard line. Shay Barker lined up for a 44-yard field goal, but he failed to connect for the second time in the game. Overtime it is.
UConn wasted no time on the first possession of the extra period, scoring at touchdown on the second play of the drive. The Orange had a much more methodical drive, taking seven plays to get into the end zone. The game came down to a two-point conversion attempt, where Odom redeemed himself by lunging across the goal line to help the Orange win an instant classic, 42-41.
While the Orange will be delighted with ending its losing streak, the victory didn’t instill too much confidence since they nearly blew a 20-point lead. Syracuse (2-2) heads to Virginia for a Saturday night showdown.
Is the Giants’ 3-1 start too good to be true?
Giants fan, do not scratch your eyes. You are really seeing that Big Blue is atop the NFC East through the first four weeks of the season. If it’s feel like it’s been ages since that’s happened, you’d be right. It’s the first time since November 2015 that the G-Men have sole possession of first place in the NFC East.
What happened to that 2015 Giants team? They lost six of their final seven games, tumbled down to third place in the NFC East and finished with a 6-10. While I don’t want to rain on the Giants’ 3-1 start to the season, I fear that a similar outcome will happen again this year.
For one, look at who they have beaten this season. Yes, they opened up the campaign with an impressive win over a division foe in the Cowboys. But that was with Jaxson Dart under center. Now sidelined with a season-ending knee injury, the keys of the offense have been turned over to Jameis Winston. After a disaster-class against the Rams, he then had arduous task of beating… the Titans and Cardinals, two of the worst teams in the league.
Both games were unsurprising. The Tennessee game was an offensive struggle in a windy, rainy MetLife Stadium. And yet, the Giants found a way to win. Sunday’s contest against Arizona was entirely different with a high-flying shootout.
It was a typical Winston performance under center. One play, he’ll throw a dot to Malik Nabers. Then the next play, he’ll make a bone-headed decision and throw a patented interception. Three touchdowns (admittedly against a JV-like Cardinals defense) and two picks? Sounds about right.
What was also similar was how the game ended. Last Sunday, the Titans had the ball at the Giants’ seven-yard line looking to take the lead, but Javon Holland’s interception of Cam Ward sealed the deal. One week later on the opposite side of the MetLife Stadium turf, the Cardinals were four yards away from winning the game, only for Deonte Banks to have other ideas. He channeled his inner Nazair Jean-Lubin with a 98-yard pick six to secure a 36-24 victory. OK, not exactly replicating Jean-Lubin (he had Banks beat out by two yards), but still. The Giants’ defense bent but didn’t break in back-to-back games.
With that being said, that style of play will not be sustainable against tougher opponents. While there is certainly value in finding ways to win—which the Giants have done pretty much the exact opposite of that for well over a decade—typical Winston performances like we saw on Sunday won’t fly against the likes of the Jaguars, 49ers, Seahawks, and other elite teams they’ll face later on in the year.
Then again… the Giants can only play who’s in front of them. Plus, the Eagles don’t seem to be world-beaters, while the Cowboys are still hampered by a porous defense despite trading for Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr.. But who am I to get my hopes up about a team that’s given me very little to be hopeful about for the last 15 years?
So enjoy it while it lasts, my fellow Giants fans. In the meantime, we’ll see if the train can keep rolling against another beatable opponent in the Commanders. With Jayden Daniels still dealing with an injury and Marcus Mariota getting hurt in London, there’s a chance the Giants face third-string quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis. Remarkably enough, a 4-1 record could be on the cards in a Dart-less rest of the campaign. That’s the NFL for you: entirely unpredictable.
Other things that caught my eye:
- Speaking of unpredictability, most people chalked up an easy win for the Bills over the Patriots. While Buffalo jumped out to a 3-0 start with MVP favorite Josh Allen leading the way, the defending AFC champions were off to a sluggish 1-2 start with MVP runner-up Drake Maye looking totally lost. While Maye still hasn’t gotten over his penchant for meatball subs with two more turnovers against Buffalo, he was able to overcome those mistakes with three touchdowns, including an incredible one-handed snag by Efton Chism III to give New England the lead. In a cruel twist of fate, it was Allen who threw the game-sealing INT as the Bills suffer their first setback of the season, 29-26. This certainly acts as a wake-up call for the defense, in particular. Buffalo’s winning start is paper over the cracks of a defense that has shown plenty of cracks this season. Defeats like these only reinforce the notion that that unit will not be good enough come January. Luckily for new DC Jim Leonhard, there’s still a long way to go before then.
- If you know anything about my strategy when picking NFL games as part of our Pigskin Pick’Em contest, I tend to pick more upsets than the average person. My boldest pick for this week was taking the Jets over the Bears when only 9% of our users backed Gang Green. Because they had competed very well against the Packers and the Lions, I felt that third time was the charm against an NFC North opponent. I felt even more confident when I found out that the Bears would be starting Tyson Bagent ahead of Case Keenum following the latter’s vintage performance against the Eagles. Instead, the Jets had their most lifeless performance of the year with a 23-12 loss. Gang Green could only muster up four field goals and 157 yards of total offense, while the defense was unable to stop Kyle Monangai and his 146 rushing yards and two touchdowns. With a surprisingly good Browns team and the Patriots coming up, the season could already be over.
- The second half of the Section IV football regular season took place over the weekend with Week 5 action. The marquee matchup locally was a Class D state-ranked showdown between #3 Groton and #14 Watkins Glen/Odessa-Montour. After the Red Hawks struck first, the Storm scored twice to go up 16-8 at halftime and pulled away in the second half en route to a 36-8 victory to hand the Red Hawks their first loss of the season. It was a complete team performance for the Schuyler Storm: the multiple options in the backfield and the many misdirections they ran, Hunter Mowry connecting with Caydin Lagramada, constant pressure on Groton QB Kam McClain, resulting in three interceptions. It was quite the statement win for the Storm, and they have another tough test this Saturday against defending state champions Tioga.
- As for the other Section IV football games, Moravia notched an impressive 46-32 victory over Frankfort-Schuyler. It was a rematch of the 2024 state regional championship game where the Blue Devils lost 70-28 in the Dome, so vengeance was served on Homecoming Night. Have yourself a night, Dillon Palmer. Six (6!) rushing touchdowns with 306 yards on the ground on 32 carries. Elsewhere, Lansing obliterated Elmira Notre Dame 61-0. Trumansburg took down a still-winless Spencer-Van Etten/Candor 29-6. A shorthanded Ithaca team suffered its second straight setback, falling to Corning 35-14. Newark Valley lost to county foes Tioga 37-14. Dryden was defeated by defending sectional champions Unatego/Franklin/GMU 38-16. And Newfield is still in search of its first victory after losing to undefeated Thomas A. Edison 67-14. The Trojans will host Dryden on Friday night in the first-ever night game at Cancro Field.
