So How Bad Was It in NY?

The Astros once successful road trip turned into a losing trip after their three game series with the New York Yankees over the weekend. Houston was outscored 22-11, out homered 5-3 and out walked 18-3. That latter number was most significant in the run differential and a Yankee trademark for the last decade.

The Yankees know how to lay off most questionable pitches and are not afraid to go deep into the count. They know that most pitchers if they jump ahead in the count tend to try and make the perfect pitch which often means try to nip a corner. That tendency to "nibble" works in the Yankee hitter's favor. Before you know it the count is even or even in the hitter's advantege. At that point many pitchers to stay away from a walk come over the plate. BANG! That is when Yankee hitters strike. And, if the pitcher continues to nibble hoping the hitter will swing at something off the plate, they don't. They take the walk.

It sound simple, but most teams can't hit that way. Or at least the hitters have convinced themselves they can't.

A look at the numbers from New York. Of the 18 walks the Yankees received eleven of them scored. The Astros only received three walks and just one scored. That is a difference of ten runs there. Remember the Yankees outscored the Astros by eleven. Throw out those runs who started as walks and the margin is just one run.

Also remember the Astros were out hit by just three in the series. They were out homered just 5 to 3. But the Yankee homers drove in 13 runs. The Astros drove in just 4.

There is a finer line between the defending champion Yankees and the Astros, or most teams, that one may think.

New York pitcher don't walk people, but New York hitters do walk. It is almost as simple as that. Astro pitchers did walk people in New York, but Astro hitters rarely did.

It takes a lot of hits to score as many runs as New York did in the three games without walking much. It was a lot easier for New York to do it with all the free passes. It only took a few timely hits to post a bunch of runs. Without walking themselves the Astros had no chance.

Now, it is a day of rest in Kansas City before this road trip continues with three games here. The Astros are 3-4 thru the first seven. Winning this series would make it a successful trip. That is still very possible.

Oh, one last item about New York. New Yankee Stadium is wonderful. More than a billion dollars can still buy something in the Big Apple. But what is most impressive was the operation. The staff from the execs down to the lowest paid employee was extremely helpful and nice. If you had a question they had an answer and were totally willing to help. In all my years of travel I have never had or heard from others so many positive comments. It was not that way in the old Yankee Stadium. I ran into and talked with many Astro fans who were in town and they, too, had nothing but good things to say about the stadium, staff and even the Yankee fans.

Losing was rough for the team, but was as good an experience for Astro fans as could ever be expected under those circumstances.

The only sad thing is there is nothing left of the historic Yankee Stadium. It is totally gone.