Whenever most people talk about the 2019 Yankees/Twins ALDS, they mostly pay attention to the Yankees’ savage offensive performance and a pitching staff that stifled one of the league’s premier offenses, and for good reason. The dominating performances up and down the lineup and by both the starting rotation and bullpen carried the bulk of the team’s load over the Twins. What really set them apart from their Minnesota counterparts, however, was the team’s elite and timely defensive performance throughout the series.
Combing through the play-by-plays of the ALDS, I found no fewer than seven top defensive plays that had some sort of significant impact, robbing opposing hitters from extra-base hits, stopping rallies in their tracks, and overall, contributing to the feeling of inevitability that came about down the stretch.