Yankees’ Jon Berti set for first-ever start at first base in Game 2
The New York Yankees are looking to take a commanding 2-0 series lead in the ALDS. After a sloppy Game 1 ended in a 6-5 New York win, Aaron Boone has made one big lineup switch. Oswaldo Cabrera will start the game on the bench and Jon Berti will play first base, his first-ever MLB game at the position, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.
Game 2 from The Bronx Zoo. #RepBX pic.twitter.com/wlkamdEDUD
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 7, 2024
The Yankees are rolling out the same lineup everywhere else for this matchup. Berti is in because of the pitcher for the Royals, lefty Cole Ragans. The Yankees struggled against left-handed pitching all season, posting a .235 batting average against lefties compared to .253 against righties. Berti has a .708 OPS against lefties in his career compared to Cabrera’s .562 mark.
Ragans is no ordinary lefty, as he proved in his Game 1 start against the Orioles. The 26-year-old went six innings of shutout ball allowing only four hits and his team escaped with a one-run victory. If Berti can get on base against Ragans and flip the lineup, the Yankees will be in great shape for this game.
Yankees’ moves work perfectly in Game 1
John Jones-Imagn Images
There were only a few question marks heading into the playoffs for the Yankees, but they were big ones. Alex Verdugo has struggled at the plate all season, but Jasson Dominguez’s issues with fly balls made it impossible to play him. Verdugo had the game-winning RBI and a few solid plays in left field.
The other point of contention was Clay Holmes, who lost the closer role back in August. He came in during a high-leverage situation in Game 1 and battled his demons from the regular season. He booted a ground ball but otherwise kept the bases clean and got four outs without allowing a run.
Aaron Boone deserves a lot of credit for how Game 1 worked out. He pulled Gerrit Cole before it got too ugly, found a lane for Holmes, and utilized Luke Weaver perfectly. There are certainly questions, however, about how Berti will do at first base in the first game he has ever played there.
The post Yankees’ Jon Berti set for first-ever start at first base in Game 2 appeared first on ClutchPoints.
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