Can the Yankees make a Playoff Push?
To say that 2021 has been a rollercoaster of a year for the New York Yankees would be a colossal understatement. As one of the streakiest teams in baseball, the Yankees have been rather inconsistent throughout the entire season. This has unfortunately held them back from reaching their full potential, as they easily have one of the most talented rosters in baseball.
Since April, the Bombers have bounced up and down the standings. At the time of writing, they are currently second in the American League wild-card standings. They’re sandwiched between two division rivals, the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays. If the season ended today, the Yankees will be a playoff team. However, with only nine games remaining, there is no way to ensure that the standings don’t change.
Any remaining divisional play for the Yankees will be extremely important when determining where they will finish in the standings. The Yankees have three series remaining, all against division rivals. The first two, and perhaps the most important, come against the Red Sox and Blue Jays. If the Yankees are able to win at least two games in both of these series, they should be in extremely good shape as the series winds down. However, the season could get away from them in its final days if they happen to lose either of these series. They could especially be in danger if they drop two or three of their games to the Blue Jays, who would then overtake them in the wild card standings.
The Yankees are still firmly in playoff contention. While Baseball-Reference gives them only a 33.1% chance to make the postseason, their performance in their final nine games of the season could make or break everything that they have worked towards all year.
If they happen to fall short in their first two series, a beacon of hope could lie in their final three games against the Tampa Bay Rays. Since the Rays have already clinched the division, there is a chance that they let their starters rest in the final series of the season and essentially rollover, allowing the Yankees to win. Although this is unlikely, as the Rays would probably not just let a division rival get an easy win, it’s still a possibility. Ultimately, it is impossible to know for sure whether or not the Yankees will make the playoffs, as there is still so much that could happen.
However, what we know for sure is that the Yankees can make the playoffs and that they have a fighting chance to do so.
