The New York Yankees annually set much larger goals than simply getting into the postseason.
But the only way to end a World Series championship drought that reaches back to 2009 is to get into the playoffs first — and then the Yanks can worry about the rest.
The good news for the Yankees is that they can clinch a playoff berth on Monday night.
There’s still about two weeks left in the season, so it doesn’t have to happen on this night — but it can, and the sooner the Yankees can lock that up, the better they’ll feel.
Yankees Playoff Clinching Scenarios
The Yankees have two possible ways to clinch a playoff berth on Monday.
The first is in the Yanks’ control:
- The Yankees clinch a playoff berth with a win against the Minnesota Twins.
The second involves a different game:
- The Yankees clinch a playoff spot if the Blue Jays lose to the Tigers.
The Yankees are playing at Minnesota’s Target Field against the Twins, with a first pitch scheduled for 7:40 p.m. ET.
Will Warren is on the bump for New York on Monday night, while the Twins counter with former Orioles righty Dean Kremer.
In that Toronto-Detroit game, the Blue Jays send trade deadline acquisition Jose Soriano (formerly of the Angels) to the mound with a 3.48 ERA. The Tigers counter with one of the season’s biggest pitching surprises: Troy Melton, who has a 2.42 ERA.
The Yankees also play the Twins on Tuesday and Wednesday, and New York sends southpaws Max Fried and Carlos Rodon to the hill in those games. It certainly seems like the playoff spot should be clinched sooner rather than later with those guys lined up next to take care of business if Warren can’t.
Yankees’ Standings
The Yankees enter action on Monday with an 86-63 record and 13 games still to play.
As it stands, they currently hold the top Wild Card spot in the American League, and they’re 11.5 games ahead of the Blue Jays, who are 75-75 and hold the first spot on the outside looking in.
That’s why a Yankees win or Blue Jays loss gets the Yanks in the playoffs for sure — because it’d make the gap 12 games in the standings (at least) with Toronto only having 11 games left after Monday.
The Yankees are also trying to chase down the AL East Division title, which by how the records stand, would come with a top-two AL seed and a bye that goes with it.
The Tampa Bay Rays have already clinched a playoff spot and are 90-59, four games ahead of the Yankees, also with 13 games to play.
Tampa Bay simply keeps winning at about the same rate as New York, so no ground has been made up in a while, but the Yankees won’t stop competing once they clinch a playoff spot, because they want that division title, too.
This Is How Yankees Can Clinch Playoff Spot Today