Despite early woes, the Yankees recent stretch of victories might make them favorites yet again.
Exactly one week ago on September 8, the New York Yankees had lost their fifth game in a row during a stretch where they lost 14 of 19 games. The discussion and narrative at the time was the Yankees had just given up. Fast forward a week later, and the Yankees now are the hottest team in baseball, while stars Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are finally healthy.
Winners in 10 of their last 11 games, it’s the offense that has exploded for six or more home runs in a three-game span, which set a new MLB record. The Yankees now look primed and poised for a deep postseason run.
In the American League, four teams have already clinched playoff berths besides the Yankees – the uber-talented Chicago White Sox, the young underdog Tampa Bay Rays who have secured a spot for the second straight season, the well-rounded Oakland Athletics and the power-hitting Minnesota Twins. Between these top four teams in the AL, there is one glaring hole: postseason success and experience.
All four teams have combined for zero playoff series wins in the last decade. The Rays have been the closest to “winning” a playoff series by defeating the A’s in the 2019 Wild Card game. But, they lost to the eventual AL Champion Astros in five games shortly after in the Divisional Round.
As far as the A’s, Twins and White Sox are concerned, they don’t even have a single playoff win dating back to 2013. And, in a year where the COVID-19 pandemic turned the regular season into a shell of itself, has there ever been a time where postseason precedence has been more important?
Every part of this equation turns me back to one team. Like them, hate them, doesn’t matter. Facts speak for themselves, and the New York Yankees have 27 reasons why they should be the favorite in the AL this fall.
If the season were to end today, the Yankees would take on the Twins (again) in the Divisional Round, a team that currently is tied for the longest playoff losing streak in North America with 16 consecutive losses in the postseason. You have to go all the way back to 2004 to find their last win in October. Of those 16 losses, the Yankees have accounted for 13 of them.
If we continue to speak in hypotheticals, the Yankees would then face the White Sox in the ALDS, a team that is ahead of schedule and hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2008. Their prospect-laden lineup is no joke, but the Yankees have the better starting pitching and bullpen staff on top of an equally impressive lineup.
The only team the Yankees have struggled with this season is their division rival in Tampa Bay who have won seven of the nine games played against the Yankees this season. The Rays easily could be the biggest threat to the Yankees title run, but is this team ready to make that next step in the postseason? It might be too soon to tell.
When looking at the big picture in the American League, it’s easy to single out the Yankees as the only true contender, at the moment.
They seem to have championship-caliber pieces in Gerrit Cole, Aroldis Chapman, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, DJ LeMahieu and so on. The list can continue with MLB league leader in home runs, Luke Voit, and other bullpen arms like Zack Britton, Chad Greene, and Adam Ottavino.
Yet again, this is still postseason baseball with anything being feasible in a series. But, it’s so easy to look at the Yankees and believe they will be in the World Series despite early struggles. The question now becomes, can they continue their recent success in the postseason?
Manager Aaron Boone now has all of his weapons healthy, combined with arguably the two hottest hitters in the game in Voit and LeMahieu. The Bronx hype is real, and it’s hard to imagine that this team won’t be the favorite to make it out of the AL, and rightfully so.