The Tampa Bay Rays have clinched the American League East Division, doing so with a victory over the New York Yankees on Tuesday evening in the Bronx.
With a 96-61 record, Tampa Bay will enter the MLB postseason as one of the favorites to win it all. However, not if the Yankees have anything to say about it, as evidenced by the message sent by manager Aaron Boone afterward.
New York Yankees Manager Aaron Boone Sends Message To Rays
New York’s loss to the Rays on Tuesady evening, which ended any chance of them catching Tampa for the division lead, certainly stung a bit.
However, the Yankees are hoping for a chance at avenging that loss and ultimately getting the last laugh over the Rays with a playoff matchup.
“We wanted to push it off if we could,” Boone said. “Credit to them. Rasmussen was great, and they’ve put together a fantastic regular season to earn that. That’s theirs that they earned. Hopefully we get another crack at them in the next couple of weeks, but they’ve certainly earned the division.”
Game 1 of the AL Wild Card series will begin on Sept. 29, with the Yankees likely hosting the historical rival Boston Red Sox.
The Yankees Are Dealing With Aaron Judge Uncertainty
Meanwhile, the Yankees are preparing for the prospect of playing the postseason without slugger Aaron Judge, who has been limited to just 66 games so far this season.
“We’re planning on him not being a part of that, but we’re also at [that] time of the year, you hear all the time with injuries, you give ranges two to four weeks, four to six weeks,” Boone said.
“The range is for a reason, and we’re at a point of the year where obviously we push it a little bit if that was in play, but that’s a week away. I’m not expecting it, but I’m not ruling it out either.”
“We’ve played much of the year without him and, for the most part, we’ve done a pretty good job,” Boone said. “So guys are used to it. Obviously, you always want your best player in the mix, but we understand we’ve got a job to do and an expectation to win. I think that expectation doesn’t change with or without him. We’re expecting to go into the series and know we can beat anyone when we play our game.”
Yankees’ Aaron Boone Warns Rays After They Steal Division