The four-game set in the Bronx will be the Yankees' biggest series of the campaign.
The New York Yankees finally clinched a playoff spot on Monday night, an exciting development for the organization. However, with about two weeks left in the regular season, it's important to recognize that the year is far from over for New York. The Yankees, currently 88-64, are 4.5 games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East, who sit at 92-59.
The Rays look poised to win the division, but a four-game set in the Bronx between the two squads will likely determine how things go. That series will run from Sept. 22 to Sept. 24, with a doubleheader on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters about whether they even want to get there, manager Aaron Boone and superstar Aaron Judge had a lot to say about it.
Both understand the importance of winning the division, especially since the playoffs let teams get healthy if they don't have to play in the first Wild Card series.
“Look, it’s an uphill battle. Without question,” Boone said, per The Athletic. “Tampa’s obviously playing great. But baseball’s a funny game. We’re winning a lot of games. So are they. But we’re just going to keep playing and keep trying to put our best foot forward every day and try and get another win tomorrow and keep it simple as that.”
“Even going back to our series last year against the Blue Jays,” Judge said. “They were rested and ready to go. They (could) line up their starters however they want. So, that’s that. But we’re in the postseason. So, if we punch our ticket, with the group we have, you get us in there (and) anything can happen. I like our chances.”
Winning the American League East should always be viewed as a positive for the Yankees and something that they want to achieve entering the year.
However, winning the World Series is obviously much more important.
I don't know if the Yankees are in a better or worse spot if they win the division, as I think they can win no matter what, but allowing Tampa Bay to play the Boston Red Sox instead of having to deal with them in a Wild Card round could end up being a very positive thing for New York.
