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The rivalry between the Red Sox and the Yankees is the most infamous in baseball - possibly in all sports. Even if you're not a Sox fan though, it can be satisfying to see the Yankees taken down a peg - they have more World Series appearances (40) and wins (27) than any other Major League Team.
MLB The Show gives players the opportunity to hand the Yankees a loss from their couch. We took a look at their 2022 Attributes to develop these tips for getting a win against this storied franchise.
The Yankees' Strengths And Weaknesses
The default roster for the Yankees in MLB The Show 22 can be summed up in one word; power. They have some of the strongest bats in the game, and their bullpen boasts some serious heat. In most cases, this translates to less visibility at the plate and less control on the mound. Beating the Yankees will require forcing them to make mistakes and doing everything you can to mitigate their strength advantage.
Tips For Batting Against The Yankees
In the worst-case scenario, you'll be facing Gerrit Cole as the Yankees' starting pitcher. Cole's fastball is extremely dangerous, but he has a tendency to pitch well outside the strike zone. Be patient and let him fall behind in the count - when Cole does throw over the plate, it's usually right down the middle. Try to anticipate these opportunities and swing when Cole doesn't have any choice but to give you what you want. This strategy also works against the Yankees' bullpen in general.
Send the ball toward center field whenever you can. This is the only real hole in the Yankees' defense, as they have expert fielders at first, third, left field, and right field.
A solid answer to the Yankees' power hitters is to bring sluggers of your own. If you can go run-for-run with your opponent and keep the scores close, it will be much easier to put them away in the late game after pitching substitutions have happened.
Tips For Pitching Against The Yankees
Don't go into a game against the Yankees expecting to shut them out - even decent contact from their elite batters has a good chance of translating into a home run. Unless you've built the sort of legendary bullpen that can only really exist in video games, the Yankees will be putting up runs at some point in the game.
Not only do the Yankees' batters hit hard, but many of them are comfortable swinging from either side of the plate. Overall, the Yankees' lineup slightly favors left-handed swinging. Consider using left-handed pitchers to counter them. Your opponents may switch to right-handed batting to try and get the upper hand on your southpaw, but if they do then you've forced them to bat from a slightly weaker side.
You'll need to vary your pitches even more than usual to keep the Yankees' lineup from predicting your throws - the only weakness they have for you to exploit is their lack of visibility, so try using pitches that break heavily to trip them up at the last moment. When in doubt, pitch low and inside to give the bat as little leverage as possible if it does connect.
Always bring your best infielders when facing the Yankees; they'll need high Fielding and Reaction Attributes to put runners away on ground balls. Beyond miraculous jumping catches at the fence, your outfield will have less to do - if a Yankees slugger sends a ball to the outfield, it's likely going all the way.
Players To Watch Out For
Besides Gerrit Cole, whom we outlined above, the Yankees have a number of notable players who will require extra caution on your part when they're a factor in the game.
Aaron Judge / Giancarlo Stanton
These two are beloved in the Bronx for good reason - they can both send baseballs straight to the moon. Unless you have elite-level players of your own to deal with them, your best bet is to avoid letting them do what they do best. If you can't strike Judge or Stanton out, consider walking them - both have an abysmal Stealing Attribute, and Stanton's Speed is awful while Judge's is mediocre. These are two players who are much less dangerous on base than they are at the bat.
DJ Lemahieu
Lemahieu has slightly less power than Judge and Stanton, but makes up for it with a much better eye at the plate. He's tougher to fool, so paint the corners as best you can when facing him to take as much power out of his swing as possible. Lemahieu becomes especially dangerous when runners are in scoring position - his extremely high Clutch Attribute improves his performance when he's in potentially game-altering situations.
Tim Locastro
Locastro is an average infielder and batter, but if he gets on base watch out. His Speed and Stealing are both the highest possible at 99 each, making it very easy for him to pick up extra bases whenever the opportunity presents itself. Strike him out or get him to pop up so that you aren't racing him to first.
Isaiah Kiner-Falefa
The third baseman is the exception to the Yankees' power-hitting rule. Kiner-Falefa has excellent vision at the plate and swings for contact rather than power. When he comes to bat, switch to a fastball-heavy approach and set him down as quickly as you can. He's a decent speed threat if he does get on base, so it's best to avoid giving him the opportunity.