The New York Yankees have clinched a playoff spot in the American League after winning over the Boston Red Sox and now the team is back in the postseason after a two year absence. The Yankees won their 10,000th game as a franchise in the regular season and they will be in the AL Wild Card game with the Houston Astros, Angels or Minnesota Twins as potential opponents.
The Yankees are now back in the playoffs after not making it since back in 2012 after getting the 4-1 win over the Red Sox. The team got a solid start from CC Sabathia and he earned his sixth win of the season to get the Yankees into the playoffs. The team had lost three against the Red Sox and had still not yet clinched a spot in the postseason. The wins and Angels are chasing the Astros in the standings to see who will be the other wild card team.
Masahiro Tanaka is slotted to start the wild card game for the Yankees and then the team will have to play against the Blue Jays or Royals if they advance. The team got home runs from Carlos Beltran, Greg Bird and Rob Refsnyder in the game on Thursday and it continued Beltran's hot hitting in September. The Yankees now are back in the playoffs after missing out on the past two Fall Classics and while the team has some holes, they have a chance in the AL.
The Yankees have a strong bullpen and if the pitching rotation can hold up, the team could make some noise. The Yankees have Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller in the back end of the bullpen and if they can get some vintage Sabathia, the team could get through to the next round.
