We can all agree that this Yankees team has all the makings of a championship team. They have the depth of yesteryear teams in the field, in the bullpen and at the plate. But one thing they don't have is the experience of how to make that final push to AL Division Champs. And that is what it is going to come down to if the things continue down this path for the 2021 Yankees.
"The Yankees, who were in third place (7 1/2 games back) at the trade deadline, have made it quite clear they are taking aim on the Rays and outright winning the division, and not just a place in the postseason. It’s a race that very well could come down to the last three games of the season when the Yankees and Rays square off in the Bronx," reported the New York Daily News.
But this is somewhat unfamiliar territory for the Bombers of recent years, who edged into the postseason through the door frame of the Wild Card. And that one and done pressure, although filled with adrenaline, is as much as a mental game as it is a physical one. Most of Wild Card teams don't survive; at least that would be the fate of the Yankees of the present. Some have pulled off wins in the grandest of ways: Florida Marlins, in 1997 and 2003; the Anaheim Angels, in 2002; the Boston Red Sox, in 2004; the St. Louis Cardinals, in 2011; the San Francisco Giants, in 2014; and the Washington Nationals, in 2019. But there is something really special and resilient about a team that hunts down the first place team from the bottom the standings to claim Division Champs.
The Yankees were 4 back of the Red Sox on August 5, 1977. In August 6, 1978, they were 8.5 games behind Boston. Both those teams hunted down the Sox and beat them, with 1978 being that one game playoff to break the division tie. These teams also had the depth of the 2021 Yankees and suffered injuries and losses, difficult ones including the death of their captain and catcher Thurman Munson in 1978.
The 2021 Yankees have proven that they are strong and relentless so to think that despite their winning streak they have made little to no ground on Tampa should not discourage them; instead it should fire up their rage as Tampa is the team who has to watch their backs, literally.
"Interestingly, because of Aroldis Chapman’s recent struggles, the Yankees had to take a page out of the Rays’ book in closing out games with six different relievers registering saves during their August surge. It hasn’t gone unnoticed that the Yankees have managed to keep winning, night after night, with not a whole lot of contribution from their closer, who is in the second of a three-year, $48 million contract," reported the News. And the Rays have suffered losses with their ace Tyler Glasnow who has given more than the lion's share of trouble for the Yankees, out for the season, they have had to do make magic out of their bullpen, which has served them well.
The Hunt for October is on and this time it could come down to a real divisional race, old school style with the Yankees perhaps having the upper hand given their depth, strength and confidence which are all the necessary ingredients to come from behind and take the American League East right from Tampa.
--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof
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