Tribe fan here. Thing I remember about this Yankees team is that every single man in their lineup was a tough out. They didn't have any big-time sluggers- their leading HR hitter, Tino Martinez, only hit 28, which was low for that era- but everyone in that lineup could hit the ball out of the park, and they were incredibly good at taking pitches, wasting pitches and running up pitch counts. The Indians could blow away pitchers with big innings and offensive bursts, but the Yankees wore them down through attrition. It was exhausting just watching or listening to the Yankee lineup wear down pitching staffs- pitching to them must've been absolutely draining. And Scott Brosius was a hell of a player both offensively and defensively. Just an amazingly fundamentally sound, balanced club.
Thome is such an underrated alltime great. Great lefty slugger, excellent batters eye. OPS monster. 600 HRs. he hit left handed pitching well and had obscene oppo power.
The ALCS with Cleveland was the series the Yankees had waited a year for. The year before, the Tribe upset the Yanks in 5 games, including Sandy Alomar's home run off Mo. And Jaret Wright won twice in the series, including the Game 5 clincher. After Darryl Strawberry's wife, Charisse, threw out the first ball, the Yankees sought their revenge on Game 1 starter Wright. Mission accomplished. Wright was knocked out of the box after 2/3 of an inning after giving up 6 singles and 5 runs. David Wells made it stand as the Yanks won easily, 7-2. David Cone and Charles Nagy dueled in Game 2. Justice's 4th inning solo shot had the Yanks trailing for the first time in the playoffs. The Yanks would tie the game but couldn't get the clutch hit that would've won the game. It was tied at 1 in the 12th, and with pinch-runner Enrique Wilson on first, Travis Fryman laid a bunt down. It was a beauty, Tino had to hurry and the throw hit Fryman in the back. The Yankees claim Fryman was in the baseline, and 2B Chuck Knoblauch, covering 1st, made a huge error in judgement in claiming interference instead of going after the ball. Wilson took advantage and ran all the way home to put Cleveland ahead. The Indians added two more runs and stole Game 2 in 12, 4-1. The New York newspapers grilled Knoblauch for his mental error, dubbing "Brain-Lauch" and "BLAUCH-HEAD" in the headlines. Buoyed by the Game 2 win, the Indians capitalized on the momentum in Game 3 at the Jake. Manny Ramirez, Mark Whited and Jim Thome (twice) all took Pettitte deep. Bartolo Colon went the distance in a 6-1 Indians' win. For the first time since late April, the Yankees were behind at any point, trailing 2-1 in games, and there was some possibility the Tribe could do it to the Yankees again. Onto Game 4, and time for El Duque to become a household name in Yankees' lore. Hernandez shut the Indians down for 7 innings and Paul O'Neill's 1st inning shot off former Yankee Gooden was enough for a 4-0 Yankee triumph and tie the series at 2 games each. In Game 5, the Yankees jumped on starter Chad Ogea with three runs in the first. Chili Davis drove in three, including a second inning HR. The Yankees held on to beat the Tribe, 5-3. Now one win away from the pennant, David Cone kept the Tribe in check for four innings as the Bronx Bombers stoked their way to a 6-0 lead. But Cleveland answered back with five in the fifth, capped by Thome's 4th HR of the series, a grand slam. Ramiro Mendoza, though, stopped the bleeding with three scoreless innings while Torre's troops added three in the 6th to make the score, 9-5 Yankees. That would be the final score, and the New York Yankees are now 121-50 on the season, and capture their 35th AL Flag. Now, four more wins is the Yankees' objective as they await their World Series opponent.
Cleveland Indians were the only team to really challenge the Yankees this year and it gave a classic and underrated American League Championship Series.
The 1st real 'speed bump' the Yankees faced during their historic '98 season; fell behind 2-games-to-1 vs Cleveland on the road, Joe Torre said famously during his postgame interview 'I guess we're not the favorites anymore', but they would get clutch pitching performances from 'El Duque' and 'Boomer' Wells in the next 2 games and the Yankees were back on their way to winning the American League pennant & one step closer to capping off their incredible 1998 season.
Scott Brosius has been SENSATIONAL so far this 1998 postseason against both Texas and Cleveland. Lets see how he will do against the Padres 3 games Against the Rangers = .400 batting average, .400 OBP, .700 Slugging percentage 6 games against Cleveland = .300 Batting Average, .500 Slugging percentage Brosius even had two great defensive plays in this ALCS against Cleveland in game 6
This was a good series - even though the Indians won only 89 games to the Yankees' 114, they were good enough to have won 100-105 if needed; they just played in a pathetically weak division where no one else even finished over .500 so they basically coasted through the season. Nobody saw them as an unworthy opponent to NY.
David Wells was great in game 1 with an almost complete game shutout, and was great in game 5 with 11 strikeouts. David Wells also threw a complete-game-gem against Cleveland in game 3 of the 1997 ALDS
This was Brian Giles final season with Cleveland, as he will be traded in the offseason for bullpen pitcher Ricardo Rincon. I like Rincon (and so does Billy Beane). However, Brian Giles will become a star player for the Pirates starting next 1999 season.
Shame this ALCS didnt go 7 games. It would have been Bartolo vs Pettite in game 7 in Yankee Stadium When Thome hit that grand slam in game 6, I really though that Cleveland was gonna win game 6 And shame that they wont face each other in the postseason until the 2007 postseason. 1997 and 1998 postseason between them was really fun
And with Cleveland eliminated and Doc Gooden not winning game 4, Doc Gooden has NEVER won a postseason game (his team has won and he has pitched great before, but no run support, or he pitches badly, or that game 4 in the 1988 NLCS)
😂😂😂😂😂I was just watching this and thinking before I saw your post that man this had to be among the worst umpiring crews put together for a postseason series. Blowing multiple calls and inconsistent strike zones and while Ted Hendry in particular stands out, they were ALL terrible that series.
@@chrisuncleahmad I dunno, I remember the '98 season as much for the Yankees' incredible dominance just as much the historic home run chase between McGwire & Sosa as well as Kerry Wood's 20 K's from earlier in the campaign.
Had the Astros beaten the Padres and Braves, the Astros would've given the Yankees the biggest test, as Randy Johnson would've started up to three times in the Series. And the Astros had a better record in the final two months of the season than even the Yankees. But the Padres have some extra motivation of their own. More on that when the NLCS recap is uploaded.
@@cdelano81 I still remember that the ex-MLB player Steve Sax predicted that the Astros were going to the World Series before the '98 MLB playoff began in Fox sports channel.
Runner on top of tenth inning in game 2 was OBVIOUSLY inside too much running line and NEVER got back. Bad call by umpire (either first base umpire or home plate umpire, whomever had to make that call)
Bad call by umps or not, Knoblauch should've gone after the ball, but he didn't, which compounded the fracture, and allowed Wilson to score all the way from first on a bunt. The replays show #1, a physical error by Tino, #2, a controversial call by Ted Hendry on Fryman running inside the line, and #3, Knoblauch chose arguing rather than getting the ball and holding Wilson at second.
That's incorrect -- He was back in the baseline when the ball hit him. He's entitled to that ground when he's running, he has to be back when he hits the base, which he was.
Tribe fan here. Thing I remember about this Yankees team is that every single man in their lineup was a tough out. They didn't have any big-time sluggers- their leading HR hitter, Tino Martinez, only hit 28, which was low for that era- but everyone in that lineup could hit the ball out of the park, and they were incredibly good at taking pitches, wasting pitches and running up pitch counts. The Indians could blow away pitchers with big innings and offensive bursts, but the Yankees wore them down through attrition. It was exhausting just watching or listening to the Yankee lineup wear down pitching staffs- pitching to them must've been absolutely draining. And Scott Brosius was a hell of a player both offensively and defensively. Just an amazingly fundamentally sound, balanced club.
You were punished for what you stole in 97.
The 98 Yankees finally had to deal with something they had rarely faced that season- adversity.
They Dealt with it well
Just hearing Stuart Scott doing the highlights for game 6 was it. I miss him
David Justice, Manny Ramirez, and Jim Thome, ALWAYS hitting postseason home runs
Manny Ramirez was non existent in the '99 ALDS
Thome is such an underrated alltime great.
Great lefty slugger, excellent batters eye. OPS monster. 600 HRs.
he hit left handed pitching well and had obscene oppo power.
The ALCS with Cleveland was the series the Yankees had waited a year for. The year before, the Tribe upset the Yanks in 5 games, including Sandy Alomar's home run off Mo. And Jaret Wright won twice in the series, including the Game 5 clincher.
After Darryl Strawberry's wife, Charisse, threw out the first ball, the Yankees sought their revenge on Game 1 starter Wright. Mission accomplished. Wright was knocked out of the box after 2/3 of an inning after giving up 6 singles and 5 runs. David Wells made it stand as the Yanks won easily, 7-2.
David Cone and Charles Nagy dueled in Game 2. Justice's 4th inning solo shot had the Yanks trailing for the first time in the playoffs. The Yanks would tie the game but couldn't get the clutch hit that would've won the game. It was tied at 1 in the 12th, and with pinch-runner Enrique Wilson on first, Travis Fryman laid a bunt down. It was a beauty, Tino had to hurry and the throw hit Fryman in the back. The Yankees claim Fryman was in the baseline, and 2B Chuck Knoblauch, covering 1st, made a huge error in judgement in claiming interference instead of going after the ball. Wilson took advantage and ran all the way home to put Cleveland ahead. The Indians added two more runs and stole Game 2 in 12, 4-1. The New York newspapers grilled Knoblauch for his mental error, dubbing "Brain-Lauch" and "BLAUCH-HEAD" in the headlines.
Buoyed by the Game 2 win, the Indians capitalized on the momentum in Game 3 at the Jake. Manny Ramirez, Mark Whited and Jim Thome (twice) all took Pettitte deep. Bartolo Colon went the distance in a 6-1 Indians' win. For the first time since late April, the Yankees were behind at any point, trailing 2-1 in games, and there was some possibility the Tribe could do it to the Yankees again.
Onto Game 4, and time for El Duque to become a household name in Yankees' lore. Hernandez shut the Indians down for 7 innings and Paul O'Neill's 1st inning shot off former Yankee Gooden was enough for a 4-0 Yankee triumph and tie the series at 2 games each. In Game 5, the Yankees jumped on starter Chad Ogea with three runs in the first. Chili Davis drove in three, including a second inning HR. The Yankees held on to beat the Tribe, 5-3.
Now one win away from the pennant, David Cone kept the Tribe in check for four innings as the Bronx Bombers stoked their way to a 6-0 lead. But Cleveland answered back with five in the fifth, capped by Thome's 4th HR of the series, a grand slam. Ramiro Mendoza, though, stopped the bleeding with three scoreless innings while Torre's troops added three in the 6th to make the score, 9-5 Yankees. That would be the final score, and the New York Yankees are now 121-50 on the season, and capture their 35th AL Flag. Now, four more wins is the Yankees' objective as they await their World Series opponent.
Holy cow those third strike calls on Thome were brutal
10:26 Young Bartolo Colon in 98 pitching a postseason masterpiece. This was the real world series of 1998
Cleveland Indians were the only team to really challenge the Yankees this year and it gave a classic and underrated American League Championship Series.
Ur right
The 1st real 'speed bump' the Yankees faced during their historic '98 season; fell behind 2-games-to-1 vs Cleveland on the road, Joe Torre said famously during his postgame interview 'I guess we're not the favorites anymore', but they would get clutch pitching performances from 'El Duque' and 'Boomer' Wells in the next 2 games and the Yankees were back on their way to winning the American League pennant & one step closer to capping off their incredible 1998 season.
Scott Brosius has been SENSATIONAL so far this 1998 postseason against both Texas and Cleveland. Lets see how he will do against the Padres
3 games Against the Rangers = .400 batting average, .400 OBP, .700 Slugging percentage
6 games against Cleveland = .300 Batting Average, .500 Slugging percentage
Brosius even had two great defensive plays in this ALCS against Cleveland in game 6
Joey Cora (Cleveland) and Cecil Fielder (Cleveland) have both retired.
this was a good series period
WOW, the umpires this ALCS, mainly game 2 and game 6 were something else
This was a good series - even though the Indians won only 89 games to the Yankees' 114, they were good enough to have won 100-105 if needed; they just played in a pathetically weak division where no one else even finished over .500 so they basically coasted through the season. Nobody saw them as an unworthy opponent to NY.
That game 2 running and stumble and slide was Enrique Wilson career highlight, along with his ability to always hit Pedro Martinez
David Wells was great in game 1 with an almost complete game shutout, and was great in game 5 with 11 strikeouts.
David Wells also threw a complete-game-gem against Cleveland in game 3 of the 1997 ALDS
15:50 Huge doubleplay by Mariano Rivera, and a nice flip by Knoublauch
13:04 Huge doubleplay by Mike Stanton to get David Justice in game 4
Omar Vizquel was everywhere defensively in game 3
It took until their fifth postseason game for The Yankees not to have a lead. That is dominant. Shout to El Duque for not being afraid.
Yankees fan but holy cow Omar Vizquel was an amazing fielder
17:23 "Enrique Wilson pulls out his wood, but his wood's not big enough."
This was Brian Giles final season with Cleveland, as he will be traded in the offseason for bullpen pitcher Ricardo Rincon. I like Rincon (and so does Billy Beane).
However, Brian Giles will become a star player for the Pirates starting next 1999 season.
At 2:10 in, Derek Jeter pulled a Rey Ordonez
3:39 Great play by Oneill; kinda dangerous though
That HP umpire rubbed too much salt in their eyes before the game
The Yankees juggernaut got stuck in the mud for a bit here, then it just kept rolling afterwards.
Revenge for 1997!
Shame this ALCS didnt go 7 games. It would have been Bartolo vs Pettite in game 7 in Yankee Stadium
When Thome hit that grand slam in game 6, I really though that Cleveland was gonna win game 6
And shame that they wont face each other in the postseason until the 2007 postseason. 1997 and 1998 postseason between them was really fun
14:24 WOW Omar Vizquel
9:27 COME ON THOME!!!! You gotta catch that!!!
Outside of Ozzie Smith, Omar was the greatest fielding ss of all time.
19:28 Omar Vizquel first career postseason error
6:23 Grew up a Yankees fan, but what the hell was up with the strike zone in Game 2?
The Yankees pay back the Indians after losing to them in the Division Series, the previous season.
Man, Cleveland had zero pitching huh? Young Bart. Mesa. But it looks like they put all their faith in the offense.
Mesa wasn’t good after 95
Notice the Yankees line score in game 6
And with Cleveland eliminated and Doc Gooden not winning game 4, Doc Gooden has NEVER won a postseason game (his team has won and he has pitched great before, but no run support, or he pitches badly, or that game 4 in the 1988 NLCS)
After Game 3 was the most adversity this team had since early April on the west coast....
No biggie tho.
Robot umpires were needed back then as well. Wow what did Jim Thome do to those umps??
A 4 hit shutout she says…… final score 6-1🤔
19:39 Manny non-webgem
Jesus, no wonder mlb accepted all those resignations in ‘99
😂😂😂😂😂I was just watching this and thinking before I saw your post that man this had to be among the worst umpiring crews put together for a postseason series. Blowing multiple calls and inconsistent strike zones and while Ted Hendry in particular stands out, they were ALL terrible that series.
Ramirez was an awful fielder. In Boston as well.
No team in '98 was gonna beat the 1998 Yanks.
Which kinda took some of the fun out of the 98 season
@@chrisuncleahmad I dunno, I remember the '98 season as much for the Yankees' incredible dominance just as much the historic home run chase between McGwire & Sosa as well as Kerry Wood's 20 K's from earlier in the campaign.
I think the only team that could've was the Braves even if they were known for underperforming because of the Pitchers.
Had the Astros beaten the Padres and Braves, the Astros would've given the Yankees the biggest test, as Randy Johnson would've started up to three times in the Series. And the Astros had a better record in the final two months of the season than even the Yankees. But the Padres have some extra motivation of their own. More on that when the NLCS recap is uploaded.
@@cdelano81 I still remember that the ex-MLB player Steve Sax predicted that the Astros were going to the World Series before the '98 MLB playoff began in Fox sports channel.
Runner on top of tenth inning in game 2 was OBVIOUSLY inside too much running line and NEVER got back. Bad call by umpire (either first base umpire or home plate umpire, whomever had to make that call)
Bad call by umps or not, Knoblauch should've gone after the ball, but he didn't, which compounded the fracture, and allowed Wilson to score all the way from first on a bunt. The replays show #1, a physical error by Tino, #2, a controversial call by Ted Hendry on Fryman running inside the line, and #3, Knoblauch chose arguing rather than getting the ball and holding Wilson at second.
That's incorrect -- He was back in the baseline when the ball hit him. He's entitled to that ground when he's running, he has to be back when he hits the base, which he was.
@@chadbuarsons8551 tell me you’re a biased Yankee hater without telling me you’re biased Yankee hater… the guy was 3 feet inside the baseline…
Yanks shouldn't have lost Game 2. Chuckie with the costly brain fart.