IT WAS A BIG GAME, BUT THE YANKEES LOST

The Yankees should have won last night against the Orioles. The Yankees should have clinched last night as well.  But they didn't.  It's games like this that make me wonder and worry about the playoffs.  It's games like this that shows the holes that the Yankees have.  

Last night Aaron Judge hit his 56th.  While that's a big deal, you know he wanted to clinch too.  But the O's did instead.  MLB.com wrote:

"...it was the O’s who celebrated, spraying bubbly and beer in a plastic-wrapped visitors’ clubhouse to toast their official entry into the postseason. Baltimore’s win, combined with the Twins’ loss to Miami, assures the Orioles of at least an American League Wild Card."

And the reason the Yankees lost was because of a baserunning error.  It's things like that that will chip away at us during the post season... and Aaron Boone will just say we have to just "move on". But it's more than that isn't it? It's holding players accountable.  

Lohud writes:

"...the Orioles still have a fearless factor when it comes to facing the Yankees, and the Yankees still have a way at times of getting in their own way – as they did on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.

Despite a three-hit night, Gleyber Torres - due to a baserunning gaffe - became the symbol of a 5-3 loss to the Orioles, who clinched a wild card spot and prevented the Yanks from celebrating a division crown."

I'm actually a big fan of Gleyber Torres, but if that happens, you got to sit the guy for a game to reflect.  You gotta show the team that bad play at the major league level and in a situation where we need to get to the World Series is vital for this franchise who hasn't won at that level since 2009.  Boone won't do that. Boone will feel bad for Gleyber and that's no way to run a team when the stakes are this high.

Bottom line? The Yankees got to win. The Yankees got to win the short series against really good teams.  Can we do this this year? I just don't know.