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There’s no getting around how annoying last night’s loss happened to be. They should’ve scored more than one run in the first eight innings. They shouldn’t have given pivotal late-season innings to Domingo Germán and Albert Abreu when at the very least, Aroldis Chapman and Lucas Luetge were available. Their final two at-bats should’ve been more competitive.
Whatever. The Angels did the Yankees a favor by beating the Mariners late last night, so the Yankees enter today with a Magic Number of 1. They can clinch a playoff spot all on their own today by beating the Rays. There’s another avenue involving other teams losing later in the day, but please just make it easy. Win and we’ll see you on Tuesday.
Today on the site, Emma salutes Roger Maris’ record 61st homer of 1961 in commemoration of yesterday’s 60th anniversary and John outlines the three major weekend series with Wild Card implications outside of New York. Later, Andrés praises Gio Urshela on his recent hot streak, Matt recalls the Yankees’ dominant finish in the 1951 AL pennant race, and after the game, Erica will look back at Dandy, the forgotten Yankees mascot who is not as cool as Bronxie.
Today’s Matchup:
New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Time: 1:05 p.m. EST
TV: YES Network, Bally Sports Sun, MLB Network (out-of-network only)
Radio: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280
Venue: Yankee Stadium
Fun Questions:
1. Let’s keep it simple. Do the Yankees win to clinch a playoff spot today?
2. It sounds like manager Luis Rojas is going to be out of a job in Queens soon. Who’s your No. 1 Totally Serious pick to take over the Mets?