Yankees biggest stars have maligned teammates to thank for this victory

Gerrit Cole did not pitch like an ace.Aaron Judge did not do anything about his postseason demons. Only one of the Yankees’ Big Three stars — Juan Soto — came out to play in their first playoff game of 2024. The Yankees won anyway because some of their most denigrated players of this season — take a bow Clay Holmes, Gleyber Torres and, especially, Alex Verdugo — rose up to keep a tense Division Series opener from becoming a regrettable one for the American League’s No.

1 seed. The 6-5 victory was not a work of art.It was good enough to gain the lead in this best-of-five, helped by strong relief work, superb outfield defense and vital late-game two-out RBI singles by Austin Wells lefty-on-lefty in the sixth inning and Verdugo for the go-ahead hit in the seventh. Let’s begin with the bad.

Cole allowed three runs in five innings.It was worse than that.

There were eight balls hit 100 mph or greater against him and 11 struck 95 or better, which tied the most against the righty since tracking began in 2015.It could have been worse, but each of the Yankees outfielders — Soto, Judge and Verdugo — made limit-the-damage above-average plays. Judge came in hitting .211 in 44 playoff games with strikeouts in exactly one-third of his plate appearances.

It is the missing piece from his résumé — to excel at this time of year while helping the Yankees to a championship.And he got an instant chance to do that. Torres walked leading off the bottom of the first and Soto produced the first of his three hits, dumping a double near the left-field line.

The 48,790 at the Stadium rose to the possibility of the moment.Part of the storyline of this series is the expected AL MVP Judge vs.

the likely runner-up, Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.And in the top of the first, Judge had made a splendid running catch to keep Witt from a double, possibly a triple. But here, with a chance to make an offensive statement as well, Judge struck out.

And the mode was s...