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The Yankees arrived late this season, as Yogi Berra would have said. The team returned to the Bronx on Friday with 16 games to play but the pennant race is almost over. The Boston Red Sox are expected to bring Champagne with them to Yankee Stadium next week to celebrate another division title.
The Yankees were led by the Red Sox by 10 and a half games in the East AHL before the first pitch against Toronto on Friday, equaling their deficit the last time they faced the Blue Jays in mid-August. The Yankees remain on track to host Oakland Athletics in the October 3 match, but this race is closing.
To the rescue, Friday came Aaron Judge – somehow. The Yankees activated Judge on the disabled list before training the batters, but said he still could not hit a bat in a match. The judge, who broke his wrist when he was hit by a throw on July 26, is available for running and defense. It looked a bit like handing over the keys to a Ferrari, but only to the radio.
"I just told him tonight that I'm very happy he's wearing a jersey and is pricking on the bench," said Aaron Boone, director of the Yankees. "Hope it can have a little more impact."
The judge practiced the practice on Friday, and then pushed the previous journalists; he had more work to do, he said. Judge's plan, as Boone describes it, is to go from the usual practice of batting to a high-speed machine to make live throws. Then, the Yankees hope that Judge will play a few games before the big against the A.
"If anyone ever watched him take BP, it's pretty electric now," said Boone. "It's like Aaron Judge."
The Yankees have learned, in his absence, that there is only one judge. Their other impressive hitter, Giancarlo Stanton, was buried in a 4-to-42 loss before Friday's game. He scored 20 strikeouts, allowing him to take the lead in the major league with 196 points.
Judge set a team record last season with 208 strikeouts, but the Yankees could live with him because he was very productive and patient: 52 home runs, 0.422 in base percentage. Stanton has a big impact, but it's not Judge: 33 home runs, 339% base percentage.
Stanton's presence helped the Yankees survive the absence of Judge and the previous absence and slow return of Gary Sanchez. They were 90-56 overall – only the Red Sox and the Houston Astros were better – but they had a worse second half than the Mets. The missing judge brought them closer to the ordinary.
"It's huge," said Blue Jays director John Gibbons. "Whenever one of your best players goes down, for a team, it's a big hole. Some teams have more ways to cover him than others, but nevertheless, he was kind of this guy here. Even if a guy is struggling, you know where he is. A guy like that can beat you even if he hits a ball. He can change the game. "
Gibbons' team entered the Bronx after losing three games in Boston. The Red Sox have punished the Blue Jays this season, winning 15 of their 19 games. Gibbons understands the challenge that the Red Sox will face in October, when their first opponent will be the winner of the wild-card match.
"They were a team that had just reduced it to nothing. 1-9, they hit the circuits and they were not a fast team, not necessarily a sports team, but they would crush you to death, "said Gibbons. "Now it's different. Now they are a big defensive team, they can steal bases and they can make races a lot easier, so in close ball games, it gives them a lot of direction.
"And they have pure batters in the team," he added. "They hit the circuits, but they are also good hitters. J. D. Martinez really made the difference for them, and he is the perfect example. He has his 40 homers at home, but he will shoot in the opposite direction for a single if a guy is on second base, just to take a race.
"Nowadays, with so many players in the league, the only way to drive is to shop at home. They have these guys who will take what they gave and they are happy to have one player to drive this guy. "
Thursday's Yankees had the fewest shots, with the lowest and highest averages of the five teams apparently heading for the playoffs. They ranked first in the circuits, of course, and home runs are the easiest and most effective way to score.
But the qualities that make Boston, the Houston Astros and the Cleveland Indians particularly dangerous against high-level pitchers do not apply to the Yankees. Their likely confrontation with the A's will be fascinating because Oakland is the same type of team, built around home batters and convenience stores.
The best Yankee lifter, Aroldis Chapman, has not launched since August 21 because of tendinitis left knee. He launched the paddock Wednesday and will repeat the exercise on Saturday. If Chapman runs a simulated game, probably Monday, the Yankees could then activate it.
Chapman had helped the bullpen compile 657 strikeouts in 519 ings before Friday. Not to mention the Tampa Bay Rays this season – which have upset the traditional roles of starter relief – only one balloon has exceeded this total: the 2017 Astros, which beat the Yankees in the A.L. series en route to a championship.
To regain the Astros, the Yankees will have to win their wild card game and then survive the Red Sox. This can be done because anything can happen in October. But the Yankees can feel the doubts.
"They are eager to prove to the baseball world that we are an elite club," Boone said. "That's what we're aiming for here as we begin this last homestand."
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