So a win in the road series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays last night would have been a huge help.
Corey Kluber was the starting pitcher. Since his return from injury, he had made 5 starts, and in only 1 of them had he pitched at least 5 innings and avoided a bad inning. This time, again, he didn't make it through 5. But if seemed more a precaution than anything else, as he'd only allowed 2 runs, and had just allowed the 2nd, to put the Yankees behind, 2-1.
The rest of the way, the bullpen got the job done. Michael King finished the 5th inning and the 6th, allowing a hit and a walk. Luis Severino was fine in the 7th. In spite of a hit, Chad Green struck out the side in the 8th.
But the Yankees needed runs. Aaron Judge hit a home run in the 1st inning. In the 6th, the Yankees broke out with 3 straight homers: Anthony Rizzo, Judge again, and Gleyber Torres. Brett Gardner added another in the 9th. And Aroldis Chapman closed it down. Yankees 7, Blue Jays 2. King was named the winning pitcher.
*
So, 3 games, 1 weekend, left. Here's how things stand:
* The Yankees currently hold the 1st Wild Card slot. Meaning that, if the current standings hold, they will host the AL Wild Card Game on Tuesday night.
* The Boston Red Sox are 2 games behind.
* So are the Seattle Mariners.
* The Blue Jays are a game behind the BoSox and the M's. Their loss last night didn't eliminate them, but it did make it incredibly unlikely that they will make it.
So it will almost certainly be the Yankees against either the Red Sox or the Mariners, but whether at Yankee Stadium II, Fenway Park or T-Mobile Park (formerly Safeco Field), remains to be seen.
If the Yankees win at least 2 out of 3 against the Rays, they're in as the hosts, no matter what the Sox or M's do.
If they win 1 out of 3, they'll host unless the Red Sox sweep the Washington Nationals, or the Mariners sweep the Los Angeles Angels.
If the Yankees get swept, there is still a chance they won't make it. So they have to avoid that.
The schedule:
* Tonight, 7:05: Nestor Cortes vs. Shane McClanahan.
* Tomorrow afternoon, 1:05: Jordan Montgomery vs. Shane Baz.
* Sunday afternoon, 3:05: Undecided vs. Michael Wacha. It would be Jameson Taillon's turn in the rotation. He is day-to-day with an ankle injury. If the Yankees clinch tonight or tomorrow, then this starting assignment becomes considerably less important. Which shows how important last night's win was.
* Monday: No game, unless there is a tie for the 2nd Wild Card slot. The likeliest scenario is a Playoff to get into the Playoffs, between the Red Sox and the Mariners.
* Tuesday night, 8:00 broadcast start: The AL Wild Card Game. If the Yankees are in it, regardless of whether it's home or away, their starting pitcher will be Gerrit Cole.
* Wednesday night: The National League Wild Card Game, between the St. Louis Cardinals and whoever doesn't win the wild NL Western Division race between the old rivals, the San Francisco Giants and the defending World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
* Thursday, not yet known if day or night: Game 1 of the AL Division Series, away to the Tampa Bay Rays. If the Yankees win the Wild Card Game, they will be in this one. Either Kluber (who would be on 6 days' rest) or Cortes (on 5) would start.
* Friday, October 8, time TBA: Game 2, away to Tampa Bay. The turn would be Cortes' (if Kluber starts Game 1) or Montgomery's.
* Sunday, October 10, time TBA: Game 3, home to Tampa Bay. The turn would be Montgomery's or Taillon's. Cole would be on 4 days' rest, so he would also be a possibility.
* If necessary, Game 4 would be on Monday, October 11, in The Bronx, and Game 5 would be on Wednesday, October 13, in St. Petersburg.
All good to know, but we're getting ahead of ourselves. We still have a Playoff berth to clinch. The Rays will be motivated as well, simply because they hate us nearly as much as the Red Sox do. They would love to knock us out, of the Playoffs entirely or at least out of the home-field advantage, just for spite.
So let's get this done. Come on you Pinstripes!