The New York Yankees defeated the Oakland Athletics by a score of 7-2 last Wednesday at Yankee Stadium in the American League Wild Card game.

New York sent their ace, Luis Severino, out to the mound to start while Oakland countered with reliever Liam Hendriks to open for them. It would be the first time “The Opener” would be used in a postseason game.

Severino was electric from pitch one. He worked a 10 pitch, 1-2-3 first with a pair of strikeouts. That was already better than his start in last year’s Wild Card game.  

Hendriks did not have the same luck as Severino did in the bottom half of the first inning. He issued a 5 pitch leadoff walk to left fielder Andrew McCutchen. The next batter was Aaron Judge. He took Hendrik’s 2-1 pitch into the left field bleachers for a 2-run home run.

Dennis Eckersley described the start for Oakland perfectly on commentary.

“What a nightmare!”

With Oakland’s bullpen beginning to warm up, Hendriks would settle down after the homer and retire the next three batters.

Severino struck out three in the second inning, but Oakland slowing began working his pitch count.

Right hander Lou Trivino would take over for the Athletics in the bottom of the second. After surrendering a leadoff single and then a walk, Trivino would throw three scoreless in relief.

The A’s were threatening to score for the first time in the top of the fourth inning. A one out error by third baseman Miguel Andujar would put Khris Davis on base. They would eventually load the bases with two outs, but a Marcus Semien strikeout on a 100 mph fastball would end the inning.      

After back-to-back singles off the bats of Jonathan Lucroy and Nick Martini to leadoff the top of the fifth inning, Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone would make the call to the bullpen and bring in Dellin Betances. Betances would get out of the fifth inning jam and pitch a scoreless sixth inning.

Fernando Rodney would take the mound for the Athletics in the bottom of the sixth. The Yankees got to him fast. Judge doubled down the right field line and Aaron Hicks followed with a run scoring double to right center. After a wild pitch moved Hicks to third, A’s manager Bob Melvin made the call to bring in his stud closer, Blake Treinen.

Treinen issued a walk to Giancarlo Stanton and he would steal second. It is now second and third for the red hot Luke Voit. Voit would hammer the full count pitch the other way, banging high off the right field wall. Two runs scored on his triple. Voit scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Didi Gregorius.

With a comfortable 6-0 lead entering the seventh inning, David Robertson took over for New York. He retired the side in order, which included a tremendous leaping catch by defensive replacement Adeiny Hechavarria at third base.

The Athletics would finally score in the eighth inning. The MLB home run leader, Khris Davis, would hit a two run home run into the short porch in right off of left hander Zach Britton.

Treinen, entering his third inning of work, would give up a towering solo home run to Giancarlo Stanton in the bottom of the eighth before being replaced by Jeurys Familia.

The Yankees would go to their closer, Aroldis Chapman, to pitch the ninth. After a leadoff single by Semien, Chapman would strike out Lucroy and pinch hitter Mark Canha before getting Matt Chapman to ground out to the new first baseman, Neil Walker, to end the game.

The Yankees won 7-2 and would take on the Boston Red Sox in the American League Division Series. The series would eventually be won by Boston in four games.