Yahoo Sports Yankees look to complete World Series mission after clinching AL wild-card spot
The New York Yankees are headed back to the AL wild-card game.
We know, that’s not the outcome the New York Yankees or their fans envisioned several months ago. Especially not after general manager Brian Cashman added Giancarlo Stanton to their already loaded lineup. It’s probably not the outcome they deserve either with a chance to still win 100 games. It’s their reality though, because the Boston Red Sox have already sewn up the AL East.
With Saturday’s dramatic 3-2 win against the Baltimore Orioles on Aaron Hicks’ walk-off double, the Yankees are guaranteed to play in their second straight AL wild-card game. That means the Yankees’ playoff lives will be at stake in a single-elimination game against an opponent likely to be the dangerous Oakland Athletics.
The Yankees next goal will be to secure home field advantage for the wild card game.
As the Yankees showed last season, playing in the wild-card game does not necessarily spell doom. After beating the Minnesota Twins in the glorified play-in, they advanced all the way to the ALCS where they lost in seven memorable games to the eventual World Series champion Houston Astros.
It does mean more work though, and a lot more stress too.
This postseason, the Yankees will look to repeat history with a wild-card win, before beginning a new journey to complete what was started last October. It won’t be easy in a loaded American League postseason picture. But as we’re about to explain, the Yankees are as capable as any other team to go all the way.
Overcoming injuries
Once the Boston Red Sox took control of the AL East in early July, they never looked back. That relegated the Yankees to the wild-card race, where the only thing that really stood in their way was their own health.
The Yankees have dealt with injuries all over the roster. Most notably, Aaron Judge missed nearly two months with a broken wrist during the second half, while closer Aroldis Chapman was sidelined several weeks himself with knee problems. Add in injuries to Didi Gregorius, Gary Sanchez, Jacoby Ellsbury, Clint Frazier and CC Sabathia, and you’ll understand that the Yankees needed every bit of their depth to maintain their strong standing.
In fact, they had to dig deeper than anyone expected.
New stars were born
All we heard about all winter and spring was the Yankees loaded lineup with Judge, Stanton, Gregorius and Sanchez. While those players all had their moments, the Yankees wouldn’t be where they’re at today without two rookies: Miguel And\ujar and Gleyber Torres.
The Yankees new dynamic duo has been putting up record numbers.
Andujar, 23, is considered a strong favorite for AL Rookie of the Year. He entered Saturday hitting .295/.329/.520 with 25 home runs and 84 RBI.
Torres, 21, isn’t far behind. He’s a .277/.345/.488 hitter to go along with 23 homers and 72 RBI. These numbers come from a guy who never hit more than 11 homers in any of his five minor league seasons. He found the power stroke at the right time, and could become the seventh Yankees hitter to hit 25 homers this season. They’ve already set the MLB record with six.
What the Yankees need to do to win the World Series
First and foremost, they can’t win the necessary 12 games until they win the first one. Surviving the wild-card game will immediately make the Yankees a dangerous team.
To advance deep into the postseason, the Yankees must do what they’ve been built to do: Mash the baseball and dominate with the back end of the bullpen.
The latter would be boosted if Chapman proves healthy. Even if they strikeout a lot like they did last October (in some cases in record numbers), hitting the long ball and scoring runs in bunches can make a huge difference in the postseason.
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