New York Yankees slugger Matt Carpenter, who hit 15 home runs in limited time during the regular season, went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros.
He had taken a couple of at-bats in the series against the Cleveland Guardians, and both resulted in strikeouts as well.
There are lots of questions surrounding his readiness at the plate, considering that he couldn’t return from his fractured left foot in the regular season and didn’t take competitive at-bats before being added to the roster.
He is not about to make any excuses, though, recognizing that Astros starter Justin Verlander was inspired last night.
“Matt Carpenter on Justin Verlander: ‘I’m not gonna stand here and make excuses. Honestly the way he threw the ball tonight, I could’ve played for the last 2 months and it would’ve been a tough day,'” SNY Yankees tweeted, with Carpenter’s quotes.
Matt Carpenter on Justin Verlander:
"I'm not gonna stand here and make excuses. Honestly the way he threw the ball tonight, I could've played for the last 2 months and it would've been a tough day" pic.twitter.com/5aG9EUqYSZ
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 20, 2022
His Timing And Rhythm At The Plate Look Off
He might not admit it, but his lack of timing could have been an issue, too.
Since fracturing his foot on August 8, Carpenter’s recovery took weeks.
He didn’t make it back in time for the final part of the regular season, and all he could do was take some live batting practice against Yankees pitchers.
If the Yankees had more depth, he would probably have been left off the roster, but they need his potent left-handed bat and took the risk.
It’s nobody’s fault, but all parties knew that results like these were possible given his long layoff.
He has a point, though: Verlander did throw the ball really well last night, with six innings of one run and 11 strikeouts.
The whole Yankees offense struggled, and it’s easy to see why.
Let’s see how Carpenter and his teammates bounce back.
NEXT: The Yankees Made Ugly History On Offense In Game 1