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NEW YORK – While standing in the middle of the New York Yankees clubhouse, bright-eyed Brett Gardner summed up the feelings that wandered through the dry air on Tuesday night.
"It's just hard right now," said the 35-year-old, taking a break. "I did not expect things to end this way, I did not expect things to end tonight."
The banner of the 28th World Series in New York will have to be lifted another year.
As Gardner and his team-mates consoled themselves with farewell hugs and a handshake goodbye immediately following their 4-3 defeat of Boston Red Sox rival Division No. 4 playoff of the American League, the reality was beginning to be felt.
The most successful team in Red Sox franchise history has survived a spectacular rally in the ninth round of the Yankees to qualify for the AHL series, where the Astros, reigning World Series champions, are waiting .
Yankees starter CC Sabathia defeated the referee Angel Hernandez after his defeat on Tuesday. "It's amazing how he gets referees in these playoff games," Sabathia said.
After eliminating the Yankees in front of their public, the Red Sox blew bottles of champagne in the visitors' dressing room while blowing up "New York, New York" by Frank Sinatra.
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The Yankees' record season was highly publicized and more awaited. No trophy will be hoisted. More champagne sprays will be grilled. Only plane tickets and vacation plans will be purchased.
Off season, the Yankees arrive.
Credit a second consecutive night of poor launcher, dubious bullpen management and a generally ineffective offense to achieve it. All of this was almost over, however, with a daring revival of the ninth inning that came to an end when replay criticism confirmed that rookie Gleyber Torres had come out of a half-turn to first base in the last game of the match.
"It says a lot about this team," said veteran CC Sabathia. "We fought all year."
After an extraordinarily young year as an extraordinary team and relatively happy to be on the precipice of the World Series with a loss to ALCS in Game 7, the Yankees are far from happy with their playoff experience.
During the spring training, while the publications said that the Yankees were going to the Fall Classic this year, the Yankees themselves expressed similar wishes.
"If we do not win [it all]"It's not a good year for us," said reliever Dellin Betances in February, "it's probably the first season of my life with these expectations."
Even newcomers had the same hopes and aspirations.
"I do not want [just] "I want to win everything," Giancarlo Stanton said after Tuesday's game.
Stanton, who came to New York as part of the most important trade of the last season, played a role in the early exit of the Yankees. His inability to end up in the clutch in three different situations as part of the SLD did not help the team.
Following a pair of offensive strikes in the defeat against the Yankees' play 1 in the seventh and ninth inning, Stanton scored two and was not removed during the valiant attempt to return Yankees in the fourth game. run at home run from the leader of the Yankees' regular season, and the match would have been tied, possibly helping to send him to extra innings.
But as he did earlier in the series, Stanton hit at the turn.
"Obviously, he had some chances, chances where he could have made a big difference with a big hit or something else, and that just did not happen in this series," said the manager. Yankees, Aaron Boone. "But that 's also why we have nine guys – it's not all guys, and we have not managed to get enough of it."
The Yankees got their fair share of Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez in the second game, the only contest in the series won by New York. Both teams dominated the win with a 6-2 win that allowed the Yankees to feel trained in the only two games in the home series.
With the series tied 1 to 1, the Yankees thought they had a chance to win the series at home, where their noisy fans could play an intimidating role.
"I did not expect to come here and lose two in a row, I expected to come here and win two in a row," Gardner said. "Our audience was incredible, right up to the last pitch, all the support they gave us all year, and the atmosphere they created during the big games and the playoffs.
"Just to be part of it and be able to stand out in the field and understand everything, I'm really very lucky to be part of something so special."
The crowd of 49,641 people played their part in the fourth game trying to provide an extra level of electricity in the stadium throughout the match. From the conclusion of the national anthem, the noise was noticeable. In the ninth round, the volume was unbearable.
"I thought we would come back and win, everyone in the stadium, everyone in the dugout was going crazy", first baseman Luke Voit said about the return. "That's what makes baseball so great, you can come so close, but it hurts your heart at the end of the day."
"But I'm so proud of this team."
Moments later, as he began to pack his cartons to be shipped home during the off season, Voit pulled out of his locker the protective glasses he had worn during the card game celebration. Wild Card from last week. He stared at them for a few seconds, smiled quickly and threw them into a box.
Gardner felt doubly moved after the loss, as after 11 seasons with the Yankees, it could have marked his last game in pinstripes. He will be a free agent in the off season. When he was benched late in the regular season due to a series of bad offensive phases, he seemed to suggest that the Yankees might soon be comfortable to go from there. before without him.
"I'd be lying if I said it did not come through my mind," Gardner said of his pending free agency. "I will understand everything that happens when the time is right and I will try to enjoy the moments that I have spent here."
He is not the only Yankee veteran to have played his last game in the Bronx. Sabathia, starting on Tuesday, will also be a free agent after signing a one – year contract in December. Sabathia, with whom Boone has felt comfortable, despite the troubles he has encountered in a tough third round on Tuesday, has already expressed his desire to launch next season.
"I like it here," Sabathia said. "It is a young team with a lot of talent and I would like to participate in the realization of this task because it will last."
The rookie of last year, the judge, will play a key role in this event.
Although he missed nearly eight weeks in the second half of the season due to a wrist injury (not to mention the list of breaks for post-All Star disabled people, by Aroldis Chapman, Gary Sanchez and Didi Gregorius), the judge had a tangible impact in the playoffs. He has had success in four of the five playoff games played by the Yankees.
"It was a battle, all along the way," said the judge about the season. "The guys are battling injuries, setbacks, battles, battles, it's been a new baseball season, and we know we have not achieved our goal, and now is the time to take the height and be ready for next year. "
Gardner added: "I hope the Yankees will experience a better season next year than this year."
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