Through a combination of ineptitude on the part of the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Guardians, the Yankees secured the top spot in the American League. Over the weekend, the Yankees dropped two of three to the Pittsburgh Pirates, while the Guardians dropped two to the Houston Astros and then had the final game of the season canceled. With playoff spots secured, neither the Yankees nor the Guardians seemed interested in finishing the season on a high note.
A Week of Waiting for the Yankees
With the top seed in the AL secured, this week for the Yankees is all about waiting. The top spot may or may not have its advantages. The Yanks will play the winner of the wildcard series between the Kansas City Royals and the Baltimore Orioles. If the ultimate winner of the wildcard series is the Royals, the Yankees can feel fairly comfortable having beaten them five out of seven times throughout the season.
The same cannot be said if the opponent is the Orioles. The O’s beat the Yanks in eight out of thirteen games throughout the season. One bright spot is that the Yankees did take two out of three from the Orioles just last week.
The Pros and Cons of a Week Off
Because sports, in general, are driven by television contracts in the postseason and not by the actual flow of games, the Yankees won’t play their next game until Saturday. On the one hand, the rest after a grueling 162-game season could help refresh the Bombers. On the other hand, baseball is an everyday game. Rarely in any given week does a baseball team take more than a day off.
Recent history has favored the team that keeps playing over the team that rests. The Yankees must avoid getting bounced in the division series by a team playing baseball instead of resting.
What Should Yankees Fans Be Watching?
Just because the Yankees are on the sideline until Saturday doesn’t mean there’s not great baseball to watch for fans of the Bronx Bombers. The series between the Royals and the Orioles will begin on Tuesday, with the Royals’ Cole Ragans facing off against Corbin Burns of the Orioles.
But if you’re a true baseball fan and not just a homer, the doubleheader today between the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves should provide some real drama. After 162 games, the National League needs two additional games to decide the final wild card team. The second game of the two spotlights Louis Severino of the Mets dueling with likely Cy Young winner Chris Sale of the Braves. Nothing in sports can compare to baseball in October, even if it’s in September.
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