The postseason qualification is great news for the Yankees, yes, but it will be of no use to them having reached the next phase of the league if they continue with their problems in October, as they have one particular department to improve. The Pinstripes must hurry to work on the weak areas if they want to show their true caliber in the playoffs.
The team’s manager, Aaron Boone, is obliged to get the most out of the stars within his squad who can step up in important moments. The first on the list should be, without a doubt, his namesake Aaron Judge. The slugger has had a phenomenal campaign, but there is still a long way to go, especially in October.
Yankees have one of the worst rotations in MLB
No one could back the Yankees’ starting rotation. Kiley McDaniel (ESPN) ranked the starters among the 14 teams still in the playoff mix. The Yankees came in at No. 11. Fans might be surprised to see that, as Max Fried leads with 18 wins and Carlos Rodon is in second place with 17 wins.
McDaniel had two problems with the starters. One is the lack of success in the playoffs by their left-handed aces. The other is the lack of experience among the rest: “Fried and Rodon have some mixed results in their postseason history, although their underlying performance is fairly consistent with the regular season,” McDaniel wrote
Caballero’s hit sends Yankees to the playoffs
During the night of Tuesday, September 23, Panamanian Jose Caballero‘s single with two outs in the ninth inning allowed Aaron Judge to score and the New York Yankees rallied to beat the Chicago White Sox 3-2, securing their eighth playoff appearance in nine seasons.
With the victory, the Yankees (89-68) moved within a game of Toronto (90-67), the American League East leaders, and reached the playoffs for the 60th time in team history. It was New York’s second victory in 61 games when trailing after eight innings.
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