The Yankees are going to the playoffs! The $200 million underdogs (to steal a phrase used by literally everyone, everywhere over the past week) somehow managed to patch together a win last night, and in doing so punched their figurative ticket to the roulette wheel that is the Wild Card game. Will they have home field advantage? Will they be facing the Astros, the Angels, the Twins, or perhaps even the Rangers? It is, as of now, mildly unclear. As we wait to see who'll snag that second Wild Card entry, let's enjoy the Yankees clinching their spot. While you're doing the enjoying, here are some rumors and gossips:clenching
- Generally speaking, the Yankees were excited about winning last night. For instance, here is a GIF of multiple players pouring alcohol on John Ryan Murphy's head, as if that were an everyday thing to do:
Media honors go to John Ryan, not only for surviving that liquid onslaught with dignity before the cameras, but also for uttering the line "I think everybody is on the same page, and that page is drinking."
- Following this redistribution of alcohol over heads and floor, the Yankees had their class of 2015 rookies dress to the theme of "80s hip hop night." While James Pazos and Rico Noel pulled a remarkably good take on Salt-N-Pepa, Masahiro Tanaka was the star of the group with his Run-D.M.C. costume. We can now award Tanaka the coveted 80-grade Run-D.M.C. tool.
- Spare a thought for Stephen Drew who is still battling what is now being termed a "mystery illness." It's almost certain Drew won't be seen in postseason play which, while very unfortunate for him, may turn out to be a bit of a boon for the Yankees—Dustin Ackley and Rob Refsnyder, both strong candidates to fill second base in October, have been offensive powerhouses over the past few weeks. For his part, Drew has been dispatched to a neurologist, with the team speculating he may be suffering from a previously undetected concussion, or that at the very least the illness may be triggering concussion-like symptoms. As we are well aware of now, concussions are very serious business, so we wish Drew a speedy and healthy recovery.
- Why is Chasen Shreve so bad? It's a 10/10 unclear situation. Shreve, who may or may not in fact be a bald eagle masquerading as a human, told media he thinks he's been tipping his pitches. Per Shreve, he and Brian McCann have been working on adjustments to mitigate said tipping. But I'm afraid I've got some bad news: following his statements, Shreve was trotted out against the Red Sox on Wednesday and promptly surrendered two hits, one a home run, in three batters faced. Back to the drawing board, Chasen.
- It would appear CC Sabathia has developed a distaste for Jackie Bradley Jr. The Boston outfielder says he has no idea what he's done to offend Sabathia, and Sabathia claims there's nothing going on between them, but that doesn't explain why Sabathia has been caught repeatedly yelling at Bradley—and not only throughout one game, but across multiple games and multiple years. Sabathia has also hit Bradley. "I’ve noticed it, but I don’t know what it’s about," Bradley told the Post. "I don’t think anything about it." Said Sabathia: "I don’t have anything to say about that. I have nothing against him."