The long-term payoff Yankees are hoping for from ‘heightened-up' Dodgers series

New York Post

3 days ago

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LOS ANGELES — If nothing else, the Yankees are hoping their weekend series against the Dodgers will at least have one positive.
The World Series rematch obviously did not come with the kind of pressure and high stakes that last October did, but the environment at Dodger Stadium — especially for a late May/early June series — felt big, which could have a payoff in the long run for some of the Yankees' young core.
Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells got a taste of playing in the real thing last October, but Ben Rice, Jasson Domínguez (aside from pinch running three times) and Will Warren did not.
3 Will Warren throws a pitch during his start against the Dodgers on May 31.
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'I think they're beneficial, yes,' manager Aaron Boone said before their 7-3 win in the series finale on Sunday. 'We talk about these series, the Subway Series, obviously coming here and playing the Dodgers, the different big series that you face in the course of the year.
'The biggest thing is we do treat them all the same, but I think there's benefits for our players to play in these environments and these heightened-up series. I do think there's some benefit to that. It's all part of gaining experience in the league.'
Not much had gone the Yankees' way through the first two games of the series, aside from Aaron Judge's three home runs, though nothing they did this weekend was going to make last October any less painful.
But perhaps there was something to be gained for the young players who have bigger roles now than they did in October.
Rice was on the ALDS roster only, but did not appear in a game.
Domínguez pinch ran twice in the ALCS and once in the World Series, but did not take any at-bats.
3 Jasson Domínguez hits an RBI double during the Yankees' win against the Dodgers on June 1.
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3 Ben Rice rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the Yankees' win against the Dodgers on June 1.
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Warren was working out with the Yankees stay-ready group for the first half of the postseason before going back home to Louisiana for the rest of it and watching from his couch.
Their contributions in the rematch entering Sunday varied.
Rice went 2-for-3 with a walk in the opener before sitting out Saturday and launching a two-run homer Sunday.
Domínguez delivered a pinch hit single in Friday's loss, but then went 1-for-4 Saturday with a double and three strikeouts looking.
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He hit an RBI single Sunday before exiting in the fifth inning with a thumb injury after stealing a base.
And then there was Warren, who seemed a tad amped up for the start before it quickly went sideways.
His velocity ticked up on the big stage, but he struggled with his command as he got shelled for seven runs on six hits and four walks while recording four outs in Saturday's 18-2 drubbing by the Dodgers.
Boone insisted it was not the size of the series that got to Warren but simply a lack of execution.
'Probably just being off, and being off against that team, they're going to make you pay for it,' Boone said. 'I think it's more that. He's faced a lot of growing moments in his big league career. He's already in his big league career where he's got it handed to him. He's pitched well in his big spots. So he's got a lot of ability and he's already grown a lot as a pitcher here in these first couple months of the season. I expect that to continue.'
Of course, in a perfect world, the Yankees may not need Warren to be part of the rotation once this October rolls around.
But the young right-hander promised on Saturday that he would let the frustration and bitterness of a brutal start sit with him for a few days before making sure he would be better off for it in the long run.
'I think the one thing he's shown here early in his big league career is he has learned a lot from every situation — from adversity, through some success,' Boone said. 'It's a hard game. You're going to take your lumps sometimes and we'll be better for having gone through that and grow from that. He has all the equipment to move right through this and be excellent, like he's been much of the season. It's no fun going through that when you have a day like this. But it's part of the game sometimes and you got to wear it.'