Not much has gone wrong for the Yankees in the second half, but when it comes to the playoffs not much has gone right for the team’s two most important stars.
If the Yankees are to win the World Series this year, they will need Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia to shed the demons that have haunted them in postseasons past. After Rodriguez shined in his first series with the Yankees — 8-for-18 with a homer in the 2004 ALDS against the Twins — he has hit .169 in the Yankees’ four series since then (all losses) and has been considered a choker by most.
Fox analyst Tim McCarver said he believes that will change this season.
“People are overlooking him,” McCarver said. “I think he’s going to have a good postseason. He is surrounded by stars — they’ve got seven guys with at least 20 homers and 75 RBIs. It doesn’t have to fall on one guy.
“From a technical standpoint, he’s swinging the bat very well and the hip seems to be better.”
The addition of Mark Teixeira has taken some of the heat off Rodriguez. And with Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon, Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano all having impressive years, one would think that Rodriguez should be feeling less pressure to carry the team.
“If it doesn’t happen this year, it won’t ever happen for A-Rod,” said Fox play-by-play man Joe Buck, who will be announcing the ALCS and World Series.
“He’s set up to have a really great postseason. If he doesn’t get it done, it will be a major failure for him.”
While the Yankees will be looking for Rodriguez to put runs on the board, Sabathia will be responsible for keeping them off when he starts Game 1 of the ALDS against either the Tigers or the Twins. Sabathia has been lights out for the past two months — going 9-0 with a 2.04 ERA — similar to the numbers he put up in Milwaukee down the stretch last season. But Sabathia has been a postseason bust for the Indians and Brewers, going 2-3 with a 7.92 ERA in five playoff starts.
But McCarver feels that Sabathia, like A-Rod, will turn his postseason fate this October.
“It’s different this year because CC had said it was a mental drain last year going into the playoffs — pitching on three days’ rest and all that,” McCarver said.
“I think he’s more rested, more experienced and he’s very bright — so I think he’s learned from the last couple of years. I think losing his last three [postseason] starts doesn’t mean anything.”
If that’s the case, you have to like the Yankees’ chances to erase the memory of missing the playoffs last season and the postseason disappointment they have dealt with since last winning a title.
“They are better than they were at the end of Joe Torre’s run and even in the middle portion,” Buck said. “This is the best team they have had since they won the World Series in 2000.”
“The Yankees are the least vulnerable team going into the playoffs in a long, long time,” McCarver added.
justin.terranova@nypost.com