Yankees On The Brink of Clinching the AL East

The Yankees wrapped up quite a West Coast road trip as they won five of six including a three-game sweep of the A’s in what will probably be their last visit to Oakland. And because the Orioles continue to puke all over themselves, the Yankees’ magic number to win the AL East is one. Lets get to it.

All season long it felt like the Yankees and Orioles were headed for a final week collision at Yankee Stadium, a colossal showdown to decide the AL East, and that’s exactly what’s going to happen starting Tuesday night.

However, showdown might be a bit much because what I certainly never anticipated in looking ahead to this is that all the Yankees would need to clinch the title would be one victory, but here we are.

At the start of September, the Yankees were up by a half-game even though they were still in the midst of a terrible summer during which they had gone 39-38 combined in June, July and August. However, they were clinging to that narrow lead because the Orioles weren’t much better in those three months, 42-40.

Buckle up, right?

Instead, the dog fight to the end has not materialized. The Orioles have continued to struggle and by losing Saturday and Sunday to Detroit, they are now 8-11 in September while the Yankees, after sweeping the A’s, are now 13-7 this month and they go into the big series with a stunning six-game lead with six to play.

It’s crazy what has happened to the Orioles this year, a team that won 101 games last year, 19 games better than New York, and seemed primed - especially after their quick flameout in the postseason - to take MLB by storm in 2024 with their young lineup filled with star prospects. Instead, they have been one of the most disappointing teams in the sport and they haven’t even officially clinched a playoff berth yet.

The Yankees are in such a great position, they could get swept by the Orioles and still win the division simply by winning once in the final three games against the Pirates who are last in the NL Central at 73-83.

“We’re in a great spot,” Giancarlo Stanton said. “We’ve still got work to do, but we’re good for where we are.”

They sure are, but the goal needs to be higher and Aaron Boone knows it. The Yankees also lead the Guardians by three games in the loss column in the race for the best record in the American League and that’s nothing to scoff at. That would give them homefield advantage in the divisional series and, if they make it, the championship series and we know what means. If the opponent is the Astros, which now seems almost like destiny, it would be the first time the Yankees would have homefield in a series against their arch nemesis.

Of course, here’s the funny thing about that: The Yankees actually play better on the road than they do at home. They finished the season with MLB’s best road record at 50-31 while they’re a mediocre 42-33 in the Bronx.

“We’re focused,” Boone said. “Everyone in that room knows what’s at stake and what the mission is and where we’re at in the calendar and the opportunity in front of us. I think guys are ready to do what we got to do to win ballgames and give ourselves a chance come October.”

Sept. 20: Yankees 4, A’s 2 (10)

The Lead: Gerrit Cole Answers Critics

Cole is the ace of the staff, and one of the best pitchers in MLB, but let’s be honest here: That debacle against the Red Sox in his last start when he intentionally walked the face of evil, Rafael Devers, was a disgrace. That was such a soft, lame move and he deserved all the criticism he received for it. Never mind that maybe that was a staff decision, Cole is the ace and he should never have gone through with it, and he knew it.

So his next start was certainly one to watch to see how he was going to respond. Well, nine innings of sheer dominance was quite a response. “Just an outstanding performance,” Boone said of Cole. “Proud of him.”

Sure, the A’s aren’t very good, but they’ve been a pesky team all year and Cole had a little additional pressure, not only because of what happened last week, but also because there’s a pennant race happening. He gave up just one run on two hits and a walk while striking out seven and the Yankees - after nine innings of mostly fruitless offense - rewarded him with a big 10th inning to get him the much-deserved win.

“That’s the Cy Young,” said Juan Soto. “That’s the Cy Young going out there. Never doubt his ability and how great he is. It’s just great to see him doing that. It was a little tough because we couldn’t get runs to support him, but definitely really excited about what he can do throughout the nine innings.”

Game notes and observations:

➤ Because Cole was attacking hitters rather than nibbling, he was able to keep his pitch count low all night and he ended nine innings at 99 pitches. “I was excited to pitch today because I had a chance to go do something positive for the team,” said Cole, who struck out seven. “We stayed on the attack, even though it was a tight game.”

➤ As for the offense, pretty much a no-show as they couldn’t touch some kid named JT Ginn, a rookie making his seventh MLB appearance after pitching to a 5.72 ERA in Triple-A this season. It was pretty maddening that they scored only one on him, that in his final inning in the fifth when, with two outs, Anthony Rizzo walked and Trent Grisham and Anthony Volpe singled. That happened right after Oakland scored its only run against Cole in the fourth when Lawrence Butler singled, stole second and scored on a single by Shea Langeliers. From there, Cole did not allow another hit and retired 15 of the last 16 men he faced.

➤ Soto was scratched before the game because he had banged his knee in Seattle. But in the 10th, Boone called on him to pinch hit and he delivered. Jasson Dominguez was the automatic runner, Rizzo singled him to third and he scored on a passed ball. Soto then doubled home pinch runner Oswaldo Cabrera, and Volpe’s third hit of the night drove in pinch runner Jon Berti to make it 4-1. This was certainly a feel good game for the massively struggling Volpe, and he also made a couple really nice plays in the field.

➤ Luke Weaver pitched the 10th and after giving up an RBI single, and with the tying run in the batters’ box, he whiffed the next three men to end the game.

Sept. 21: Yankees 10, A’s 0

The Lead: An Easy, Early Night

The Yankees did me and perhaps you a favor as they put this one away by the time I was ready to go to bed at around 10:30. By then it was already 6-0 after three innings and I felt pretty good when my head hit the pillow that I wouldn’t be waking up to a horrible surprise Sunday morning.

Just as the game was getting started, the Orioles were on their way to a gut-wrenching loss. They tied their game against the Tigers with two runs in the bottom of the ninth, and they would have won moments later if ex-Yankee shortstop prospect Trey Sweeney didn’t make an incredible, game-saving catch. And then in the 10th the Tigers scored twice, the Orioles didn’t answer and Detroit earned a 6-4 victory.

The Yankees were sort of playing with house money at that point knowing even if they lost they would keep their lead at four. Then again, five is better than four and when it became clear A’s starter and ex-Yankee JP Sears had nothing, the Yankees pounced early and often.

Game notes and observations:

➤ The onslaught started immediately as Gleyber Torres and Soto singled and Judge walked to load the bases. Stanton grounded into a double play as a run scored, but Dominguez rescued the situation with an RBI single for a quick 2-0 lead.

➤ In the second, Volpe - who was hitting just .161 in September before he arrived in Oakland - led off with a home run, his first since Aug. 3 if you can believe that. And then in the third, game over. Soto and Judge singled and Stanton - who was hitting .156 in September before he arrived in Oakland - crushed a mammoth three-run homer to make it 6-0. Boone said that one, “took the air out of the building with one of his Big G shots.”

➤ After that it was all gravy during a four-run seventh as Judge hit his 54th homer, Volpe added an RBI grounder, and Torres had a two-run single. The Yankees finished with 14 hits as Torres had three and Soto, Judge, Stanton and Berti had two each.

➤ Carlos Rodon sure didn’t need that much run support but he sure appreciated it. “It’s fun to watch. You’re kind of a fan in the moment, even though I’m still pitching,” Rodón said. “Just a little fanboy watching those guys hit homers.”

➤ This was the 20th start out of 31 this year for Rodon where he allowed two earned runs or fewer, the fifth where he allowed no runs and now his ERA has dipped to a respectable 3.98 thanks to six shutout innings as he allowed five hits and a walk. In the first inning the A’s had men on first and second with one out but Rodon induced a double play. In the third he had a man on third with two outs and got dangerous Brent Rooker to ground out. And in the sixth he gave up a two-out double but retired JJ Bleday on a fly ball to end his night.

➤ Hey, we finally found a team Mark Leiter could handle. The horrendous trade deadline acquisition pitched a pair of 1-2-3 innings, and then Tim Mayza threw a 1-2-3 ninth to end it.

➤ The win was the 600th of Boone’s career as he joined Joe McCarthy (1,149), Joe Torre (1,173), Casey Stengel (1,149), Miller Huggins (1,067), Ralph Houk (944) and Joe Girardi (910) as the only Yankee managers to reach that level. Of course, all of those guys combined to win 24 World Series titles. Boone has zero to date.

Sept. 22: Yankees 7, A’s 4

The Lead: The Magic Number is One

In all likelihood this is the final game the Yankees will play in Oakland as the A’s are moving to Sacramento for the next couple years until their alleged new ballpark in Las Vegas is built. There are many who believe the move to Las Vegas will never end up happening and the A’s could wind up back in Oakland, but for now, Oakland is losing the A’s, just like it lost the Raiders. Pretty sad state of affairs out there.

If this is it in Oakland, the visiting Yankees bid a very rude farewell to the Oakland Coliseum as they beat up on the A’s for three nights to finish off a tremendous season on the West Coast. The Yankees went 12-3 on their two trips to the left side covering five cities and that’s pretty damn impressive because in so many years past, West Coast trips were often a big problem for the Yankees.

Game notes and observations:

➤ This was not a great start from Luis Gil. He pitched into the sixth inning and gave up four runs on five hits and three more walks which continues to be a problem for him. Gil gave up two runs in first inning because once again, he started with poor command, something that has plagued him lately. With two outs he walked two batters and got tagged for a two-run double by Tyler Soderstrom. There were two men on in the third before he struck out Zach Gelof to end the threat. And then in sixth he left with two men on base and a 5-2 lead, but Ian Hamilton failed him and allowed the two inherited runners to score on a roped double by pinch-hitter Ryan Noda who came into the game with a .137 average.

➤ Tim Hill probably didn’t need a shower after he pitched the seventh as he needed just five pitches to go 1-2-3. There’s no way the Yankees can leave him off the postseason roster because he, and Jake Cousins have been two of the most pleasant surprises this year, two scrap heap guys who helped settle this shaky bullpen. Of course, there was this about Cousins: He went on the 15-day injured list with his pectoral muscle problem. The Yankees are hoping he can get back in time for the postseason, and that would be nice because they’re going to need that wipeout slider of his.

➤ Ya know who did need a shower? All of us who were watching when Clay Holmes came in and did his usual shitty job. He faced three guys in the eighth, allowed a single and a walk, and after he got a strikeout, Boone wisely rectified his stupid mistake bringing him in in the first place and asked Weaver to bail his ass out, which he did with a pair of strikeouts, and then Weaver mowed down the A’s in the ninth for his fourth save in four opportunities.

➤ Dominguez tied the game when he cranked a two-run homer following a walk to Jazz Chisholm in the second and Judge hit his 55th homer in the third to make it 3-2. The count rose to 5-2 in the fifth when Torres homered, then Soto was hit by a pitch, took third on a Judge double and scored on Chisholm’s sacrifice fly.

➤ After the A’s got within 5-4, Judge walked and scored on a Stanton double in the seventh, and in the ninth, the Yankees added an insurance run when Soto and Judge walked and Wells, who has really been struggling at the plate, doubled home Soto.

➤ “We play well on the road,” Judge said after the Yankees’ 50th road win, their most since 2003. “Coming out of here 5-1 is big, especially going into the last homestand. Magic number is down to one. Let’s just go take care of business now.”

The Yankees flew home and took Monday off and now close the season with six games at Yankee Stadium, and the first three are, as we said, against Baltimore.

The Orioles have played so poorly, it’s hard to fathom. They have lost each of their last five series and in their last 13 games they are batting .211 as a team which is the worst mark in all of MLB, worse even than the White Sox (.217) who on Sunday tied the all-time MLB modern day record for most losses in a season with their 120th. And the Orioles haven’t pitched much better, either, as their ERA in that stretch is 18th at 4.14.

They did just get back infielders Ramon Urias and Jordan Westburg from the injured list and that will help them this week and into the postseason, and it looks like first baseman Ryan Mountcastle might return in time to face the Yankees and that would be another big addition.

The pitching matchups are as follows: Tuesday at 7:05 on YES it’s Clarke Schmidt (2.37 ERA) against Dean Kremer (4.19); Wednesday at 7:05 on YES it’s Nestor Cortes (3.77) against Zach Eflin (3.53); and Thursday at 7:05 on YES it’s Gerrit Cole (3.67) against Corbin Burnes (2.95).