So you’re telling me there’s a chance?
Yankee Stadium is hosting its first World Series game Monday night since the inaugural season of the new stadium 15 years ago, and Yankees players and fans could use some optimism after the first two games of the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Game 1 was the true heartbreaker, as the Yankees were on the verge of a huge road victory with a one-run lead and two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning. But Freddie Freeman sent the Dodger Stadium crowd into a frenzy with a walk-off grand slam to give the home team a 6-3 win.
The Yankees fell behind 4-1 early in Game 2 and were unable to solve the Dodgers pitching, mustering only one hit – a third-inning Juan Soto home run – off three pitchers over the first eight innings. The team mounted a ninth-inning rally by loading the bases with one out, but a strikeout and flyout ended the game with the tying run on second base.
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Can Yankees repeat history?
While the Yankees have dug themselves a hole, history has shown that winning the World Series after losing the first two games is not impossible. In fact, four of the team’s record 27 championships were won after overcoming a 2-0 deficit, including two instances against these same Dodgers.
The Yankees’ first triumph after going down 2-0 came in 1956, when the Dodgers were still in Brooklyn. The Bronx Bombers repeated the feat two years later, eventually overcoming a 3-1 series deficit against the Milwaukee Braves to win in seven.
In 1978, the Dodgers won the first two games of the World Series against the Yankees in a rematch of the previous year’s Fall Classic. The Yankees would storm back to win four straight and take the series in six.
The most recent Yankees World Series comeback, in 1996, may have been the team’s most impressive. That year, the Yankees were facing the defending champion Atlanta Braves and, unlike in the previous three comebacks, had to win three straight on the road after dropping the first two at Yankee Stadium. The team did just that, capping off its first title in 15 years with a win back in the Bronx for Game 6.
So yes, the Yankees still have a chance to come back and win this series. But do their fans think they can turn it around?
Fans ready to provide the spark
On the subway to the stadium Monday night, Yankee fans tried to keep their spirits high in hopes that the team’s fortunes would turn around.
“Can’t lose faith,” said Nico Giambanco, a New Jersey native who now lives in Tucson, Arizona. “That first game was a big energy suck, so (I’m) hoping that getting it back home, we can reinject the energy.”
Scott Gamache, of Bridgewater, alluded to a quote from Aaron Judge in the ALCS when he credited “the ghosts” with propelling his home run over the Yankee Stadium fence.
“We need the ghosts tonight,” Gamache said. “We need a little spark. The momentum will carry the crowd, and the crowd will carry the team. We just need something big.”
Kevin Donahue, of Freehold – likely sharing the thoughts of many fans – said the struggling Judge has to play a big role if the Yankees are going to come back.
“We need a spark, and it needs to come from Aaron Judge,” Donahue said.
Giambanco admitted that he almost sold his ticket, thinking that his travel across the country would be “a waste” of a trip if the Yankees lose. But the thought of witnessing the start of a comeback changed his mind.
“I just had this thought in my mind,” Giambanco said. “If they bounce back, if they win, I’ll regret (selling) the rest of my life.”
Other fans in the area of the stadium tried to will the Yankees to a win. One fan repeatedly chanted, “Show up today!” as subway riders exited the 161st Street stop.
Roberto Guerra, of Stamford, Connecticut, suggested moving Judge out of the no. 2 spot in the lineup to “put some fire in him.” That potential change would have to wait until at least game 4, however, as Yankees manager Aaron Booone kept Judge batting second for Monday’s game.
“Such a brutal loss in Game 1,” said Brent Omland, of Wilton, Connecticut. “It’s so hard to come back from that, so they’ve got to come out firing, they’ve got to come out and take it to them early.”
In Omland’s opinion, the Yankees need a “signature win” in order to come back in the series.
“A big home run from a Judge or a (Juan) Soto,” he said. “One of their big bats needs to do something special, I think, to get the momentum back.” Guerra also highlighted the need to shut down Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, whom he called a “scary dude.” Both he and Omland are staying positive about the Yankees odds to come back, provided they win Monday.
“I like the chances,” Omland said. “Home, three games. Need to win this one – must-win.”
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