Good morning to everyone but especially to...
THE NEW YORK YANKEES...
This season, Aaron Judge chased down and then one-upped Roger Maris' AL record of 61 home runs, finishing the year with 62. Tuesday, in the Yankees' biggest game of the season, he one-upped a current teammate for MLB history.
One inning after Giancarlo Stanton's three-run homer opened the scoring, Judge blasted a solo home run -- his MLB-record fourth in a winner-take-all playoff game -- as the Yankees beat the Guardians, 5-1, to advance to the ALCS. They'll face the Astros.
Here's the list of most home runs in a winner-take-all game:
Aaron Judge: 4 (homered Tuesday for Yankees)Giancarlo Stanton: 3 (homered Tuesday for Yankees)Yogi Berra: 3Didi Gregorius: 3Troy O'Leary: 3Moose Skowron: 3The Yankees have no time to celebrate; the ALCS begins tonight in Houston. While the Astros have a major rest advantage, they need Jose Altuve to get going, writes MLB expert R.J. Anderson.
... AND ALSO A GOOD MORNING TO THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Getty ImagesWhen it came down to it, the Phillies' stars shined brightest when they needed to most. Their reward is a 1-0 lead in the NLCS after a nail-biting 2-0 win over the Padres.
Zack Wheeler pitched an absolute gem: seven innings, eight strikeouts, one hit and one walk on just 83 pitches.Bryce Harper homered off Yu Darvish in the fourth inning to open the scoring. Harper has homered in three straight games.Kyle Schwarber then crushed a 488-foot blast off Darvish in the sixth. It's the longest home run in Petco Park history and, at 119.7 miles per hour, the hardest-hit postseason home run in the Statcast Era (since 2015).Seranthony Dominguez pitched a scoreless eighth and José Alvarado earned the save.Above all else, the story of the game was Wheeler's dominance, writes MLB guru Dayn Perry.
Perry: "In what was probably a scouting-driven decision, Wheeler leaned more on his fastball in Game 1 than he typically does – 52 percent of the time against the Padres versus 42.9 percent usage during the regular season. ... Wheeler got the Padres' lineup to swing at 42 percent of his pitches outside the zone, which is a lofty figure. The stellar effort lowered Wheeler's ERA during this postseason to 1.40 through three starts."Honorable mentions
And not such a good morning for...
Getty ImagesDANIEL SNYDER
If Commanders owner Daniel Snyder thought the walls were closing in on him before Tuesday, he certainly doesn't feel any better today. In a shocking interview at the NFL owners meeting, Colts owner Jim Irsay said he thinks "there's merit to removing" Snyder as owner.
It's the first time an owner has spoken directly and publicly about removing Snyder.
Snyder and the Commanders are currently under investigation by Mary Jo White, who is looking into allegations of Snyder's sexual harassment as well as financial impropriety and workplace misconduct. The Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia also plans to take action against Snyder.Irsay's comments come just days after a bombshell ESPN report that Snyder is collecting "dirt" on other owners and defying the NFL's punishments. Snyder is not at the owners meetings; his wife, Tanya, is.When asked if the owners will have the requisite 24 votes to remove Snyder, Irsay said, "I think potentially there will be." Of note, an NFL owner has never been voted out.Any potential vote would not come until after White's investigation is complete, according to commissioner Roger Goodell.A Commanders spokesperson called Irsay's comments "highly inappropriate, but not surprising" and added that once the evidence is presented, Irsay will change his stance.
Snyder himself sent a letter to fellow owners, writing that the ESPN report "contains false and malicious statements" and denying that he has hired investigators to dig up dirt.
