What the Yankees need to do to avoid getting swept in the World Series

The 2024 World Series began on Friday. In three games in four days, what was once considered a matchup for the ages has turned into a one-sided affair for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The New York Yankees have dug themselves a hole that has been impossible to climb out of in the past. If they want to avoid being overwhelmed — let alone have a reasonable chance of winning the World Series — here's what they need to do.

Maybe the National League is just much better. Perhaps the Yankees' path to the Fall Classic via two AL Central teams, the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Guardians, was gentler than the Dodgers' path via the San Diego Padres and New York Mets.

This is all history. Now is now.

The gap the Yankees find themselves in is monumental: Of the 24 times a team has found itself in a 0-3 hole in the World Series, a sweep has occurred 21 times. It went to Game 5 three times. No team made it to Game 6, let alone Game 7.

To keep the Yankees from getting carried away, here's what they need to do.

Game 4 is a bullpen game for the Dodgers

Pitching was originally supposed to be the Dodgers' weak point, but they got strong performances from Jack Flaherty in Game 1 (5.1 IP, 3.38 ERA, 5 H, 2 ER, 6 SO, 1 BB) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 1 back-to-back Game 2 (6.1 IP, 1.42 ERA, 1 H, 1 ER, 4 SO, 2 BB) and Walker Buehler on Monday night (5.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2 H, 0 ER, 5 SO , 2 BB) have set the Yankees are on the wall.

On Tuesday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts will host a bullpen game (once again). On paper, this should be the easiest game for the Yankees to get their cold bats going. It's not as easy as it could have been (with Buehler able to go deeper in Game 3, Roberts didn't have to rely on his best bullpen arms in high-leverage situations), but at this stage the Yankees need something – anything – to be turned around.

Aaron Judge needs to stop pushing

The sharpest look for the Yankees lineup was directed at Aaron Judge. The man who will surely win the AL MVP title is a shadow of his former self, going just 1-12 with one walk and an abysmal 7 strikeouts in three games. His pursuit rate has risen sharply over the course of the postseason, rising from a career low of 17.7% during the regular season to 21.3% against the Royals, 33.3% against the Guardians and to 35.3% in the three Worlds games Series against the Dodgers.

The pressure from the national media, New York press and fans must be relentless for Judge at this point. He has to fight the urge to apply pressure. The increased pursuit rate results in strikeouts that the Yankees can ill afford. Judge is in the starting lineup for power, but his ability to strike fear into opposing pitchers led to a league-leading 133 walks in the regular season, laying the groundwork for others behind him to push him across the plate. How many walks does Judge have during the World Series? Exactly 1. This is a sign that the Dodgers aren't bypassing him but are going after him head on.

Judge needs to focus on Game 4. Not more. Stop pushing. At best, find an offensive rhythm. At worst, you'll cause pitchers to trigger walks. An OBP of .154 is problem No. 1 for Judge and the Yankees.

When does Aaron Boone get emotions going?

A fiery manager is a delicate balancing act in the postseason. Getting ejected is something to avoid until it isn't, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone had to pull that trigger in Game 3.

Home plate umpire Mark Carlson wasn't the best with his ball and strike calls in Game 3. With 2 outs and runners on 1st and 2nd in the bottom of the 7th, Carlson called Gleyber Torres on a pitch outside the strike zone.

With the game in the late innings, Boone had to get going and get out of the dugout. At this stage, a late-game ejection causes less damage than a Yankees lineup that has the energy of a 15-watt light bulb. Boone needs to provide a spark. It's obvious that Game 4 is now or never. Managers have to manage.

The Yankees have to take over the 2004 Red Sox

The Yankees won't get Dave Roberts to give them a pep talk, but — in an incredible irony — the Bronx Bombers will have to emulate the 2004 Boston Red Sox in the ALCS. It's not just that the Red Sox fought their way out of an 0-3 hole to come back and win four straight games to advance to the World Series, that's what it was How You did it.

David Ortiz, a key factor in that historic comeback in 2004, said last night what anyone looking into the Yankees' dugout could see in Game 3: Body language shows a team is exhausted and defeated. The 2004 “Cowboy Up” Red Sox team played casually and acted like they had some kind of advantage even though they were down 3-0.

Someone – anyone – gotta channel Kevin Millar. Because if the Yankees assume that if they win the bullpen game of Game 4, they get Gerritt Cole as the starter for Game 5, giving them their ace and a chance to get back to LA for Game 6.

Besides Judge, where is everyone else except Stanton?

The Yankees scored just 7 runs in the three games of the World Series. Three of these are by Giancarlo Stanton. Two of those came with an Alex Verdugo home run in the 9th inning and 2 outs in Game 3 that made the Dodgers' 4-2 win seem closer than it actually was.

Overall, the Yankees as a team are hitting an abysmal .186 compared to .248 in the regular season. What's worse, compared to the regular season, they are over 200 points behind in OPS (the World Series is .579, while the regular season was .761).

Yes, the Dodgers have seen Freddie Freeman perform Herculean feats, but for the Yankees to avoid the sweep, others need to step up alongside Stanton, and that goes beyond Judge. Yes, Judge has to get on base, but to survive another day, others must carry the burden.

Jazz Chisolm is 3-13 on the field. Torres is 2-11. Verdugo is 2-10. Volpe is 1-12. Soto, a major free agent in the offseason, is batting .300 but has 1 home run. At least he hasn't dropped out and has 3 walks.

The Yankees are all about putting runners on base and powering their way to wins. They were ranked No. 4 in the regular season. Yes, the Dodgers are ranked No. 1 in this category and are relentless from top to bottom, but this is about one game. The Game. Game 4. That's it for now.

There will be some introspection for the Yankees this offseason. Only the overly optimistic fan expects the Yankees to win the World Series at this point. What we're talking about now is avoiding the total embarrassment of getting swept. This is happening and would anyone be surprised if Aaron Boone and/or Brian Cashman were fired?

Today is the day for the Yankees. There are no others. It's Game 4 Or Bust for more than just the right to live another day.