NEW YORK – Aaron Boone is away from the Yankees clubhouse, where a wild and brave celebration was still at its peak.

Even through a mist of champagne, the rookie manager could see the difficult road from October to come.

"We have a long way to go," said Boone. "I hope we will start a special trip now."

It took extra heat on Saturday before the Yankees officially got their ticket to the playoffs, winning a 3-2 win against the Orioles in front of 40,185 fans at Yankee Stadium.

"Every time you have a chance to play in the playoffs, it's a blessing – there's a lot of work, everywhere, from top to bottom in this organization," said Aaron Judge, left for his second run consecutive. we have not finished yet.

"We still have a lot of work to do and this is only the first step," said the judge. "Just continue to keep working and keep playing until October."

Post-season linked

The Yankees' run to the playoffs had been running well for some time, but calculations were tough on Saturday as the Rays lost their game in Toronto.

And there remained only one task for the Yanks: defeat the Orioles (109 defeats) and turn the clubhouse into a crazy champagne party.

"If and when we enter the playoffs, we will celebrate that," Boone said before the game, aware of the bigger task ahead. "And whatever the size of the celebration, it depends on the moment."

That moment came in the 11th inning, when Aaron Hicks made a double-left that scored Didi Gregorius of the first base, touching a striped riot.

"Postseason bound" was the message on the dashboard.

And to get to that moment, the Yankees (95-59) needed six scoreless relief rounds from six different pitchers, including Jonathan Holder's formidable breakaway – failing the loaded bases.

After Gregorius led the 11th place with a simple left-wing offensive, Paul Fry, Giancarlo Stanton (0-for-5) was eliminated and Hicks arrived.

Hicks snatched a ball from his left ankle, staying still for a long time and drawing the attention of his manager and sports coach Steve Donohue before hitting the winning shot.

"For a minute there, I was not sure he was going to be able to finish the fight," Boone said, adding with a smile that he could have had a dramatic effect.

Direct the charge

Hicks and Luke Voit each crowned circuits in the second set, extending the Yanks' home mark to 251.

"One of the most underrated players in the game," Boone said of Hicks before Saturday's game.

And no one in Yankees Universe has ever heard of Voit before August, when he arrived via St. Louis. Saturday, he broke his 11th circuit as a Yankee, accomplished in his last 25 games.

"It was the craziest year of my life, going up and down with St. Louis and spending a lot of time in Triple-A, when I did not realize it was going to happen. produce, "Voit said. beaded glasses with bubbles.

"I spend the time of my life … and I am grateful for this opportunity."

More work to do

On a smooth plastic mat covering the club floor, Boone hugged himself individually and offered his congratulations.

From the oldest Yankees of Brett Gardner and CC Sabathia, to rookies Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres, who made a significant contribution to a club in October, Boone made his tricks.

The Yankees stumbled in the second period and saw the Red Sox – runners in the East Atlantic – win the division on Thursday night.

And just like the rookies, Stanton was making his first playoffs.

After playing his entire career in Miami in teams that have never seen October, Stanton said: "It's great" to finally celebrate like that.

However, the Yankees are fighting to keep first place overall against Oakland.

"Enjoy tonight, enjoy this buzz and this celebration," said Stanton. "But know that we still have work to do."