Phase One is complete for the New York Yankees. They eliminated the Boston Red Sox and now face another American League East foe, the Toronto Blue Jays. I made the point that the Yankees HAD to win this Red Sox series or else they might undergo, as what I like to refer to as, “an organizational earthquake”. The celebration is brief as the Yanks are right back at it on Saturday in Toronto. As much as we love beating the Red Sox (Aaron Boone should be exceptionally giddy), the good vibes the team is feeling could come crashing to a halt by this time next week.
If the Yankees get bounced in this round, will we even be satisfied about beating Boston in the previous round? I would say no. In fact, the only thing we would remember would be Cam Schlittler‘s epic performance in Game 3 and that Aaron Judge had an excellent offensive series. Other than that, there will be the same angst, the same level of frustration among the fansbase that gripped us for a good portion of the second half. The whispers about Boone’s job security will grow to a roar and the calls for Brian Cashman to go will mount even more. Yankee fans are not supposed to celebrate making it to a Division Series, even if they knocked off their most hated rival along the way. This is a team right now that appears to be poised for a return to the World Series.
I felt before the Wild Card round that if the Yankees can beat the Red Sox, they can win it all. That hasn’t changed. My confidence is actually a little bit higher now, thanks to Schlittler’s dominant performance. Beating the Red Sox is huge and I am not going to minimize that. However, losing to the Blue Jays will make the Boston victory hollow……until we see them in 2026.
Threeunassisted 