Yankees have a path to World Series redemption

This period in Yankee history – let’s call it the era of Judge Aaron – has been marked by an eternal return to the playoffs and endings in which members of the organization insist they have a championship team without the most important element – a real championship.

From 2013 to 2016, the Yankees made the playoffs once. Then Judge became a star and it’s the Yankees’ fifth straight appearance at the tournament, but it’s the fourth time they’ve finished second in LA East. On two separate occasions, they’ve been at the mercy of sudden death (last year, with an extended playoffs, there weren’t any games without a tomorrow). They are 2-0 so far with their October issues appearing as the month progresses.

Derek Jeter had a career path in New York established by the Yankees winning a championship in his rookie season and then, with the same base group, winning four times in his first five full seasons. Judge is in full season # 5 now. He’s a free agent after next season. The staple plays have already frayed and you can expect more to go this offseason, maybe even if the Yankees win it all.

But there is a dream scenario between here and the Canyon of Heroes for the Yankees – a Michael Corleone setting the full potential of a family business for the Yankees. It will take a lot of cooperation, namely that the Yanks can advance from Tuesday evening. But here is their ideal path:

1. Defeat the Red Sox. It would be their biggest rival. The organization that this century changed that cursed one-sided relationship by winning four titles against that of the Yankees. That last title took place in 2018. This playoff judge played “New York, New York” on a boom box as he passed the Red Sox clubhouse in Fenway Park en route to the bus from there. ‘team after the Yankees won Game 2 to tie the divisional series at one game each.

The Red Sox went to the Bronx, won back-to-back games, partied on the field at Yankee Stadium, and played “New York, New York” at the winning clubhouse.

2. Beat the rays. Tampa Bay awaits the winner of New York-Boston in the divisional series. The Rays, from David to the Yankees’ Goliath, have won back-to-back AL East titles, which the Yanks last did in 2011-12 or approaching $ 2 billion in payrolls roughly $ 2 billion ago. of dollars.

The Rays ousted the Yankees from the playoffs in Game 5 of the ALDS last year en route to the World Series (every team that has eliminated the Yankes in the past four years has won at least the pennant). You remember this little morality story. On September 1, 2020, Aroldis Chapman threw 101 mph near Mike Brosseau’s header, triggering a bench clearance incident at the end of the game. On October 9, Brosseau hit the deciding homerun in the eighth inning against Chapman who won Game 5 and the series for the Rays.

In many ways, Tampa Bay has replaced Boston as the Yankees’ main rival. Teams have been sensitive for years about indoor locations (and batsmen affected) both ways. And the Rays, more than any other team, have an aggressive underdog streak that often annoys the Yanks. The Yankees are 12-22 over the past two years against the Rays, including the playoffs and Tampa Bay taking two of three wins in the Bronx over the weekend when, if the Yankees had made it. , Tuesday night’s game would take place at home rather than Fenway.

3. Defeat the Astros. Houston will have to cooperate by defeating the White Sox in this divisional series. The Astros eliminated the Yankees in the 2017 and 2019 ALCS.

Many Yankees members will still believe that if the Astros hadn’t illegally stolen signs the Yankees would have won the 2017 series (Houston has denied cheating in the playoffs). What is the legacy of that time if the Yanks had simply reached the World Series that year and prevented the 2010s from becoming the first decade since the 1910s where the organization failed to achieve a classic? fall?

ALCS 2019 ended with Jose Altuve throwing a home run against Chapman, refusing to allow his jersey to be ripped off and triggering – at a minimum – a conspiracy theory that he was wearing a buzzer under his shirt that alerted him to what type of land was coming. In order of teams the Yanks despise: Rays, Astros, Red Sox, the teams that knocked them out in the last four playoffs.

4. Defeat the Dodgers. Los Angeles, despite 106 regular season wins, is in the same sudden death threat Wednesday as the Yanks on Tuesday. Los Angeles should beat the Cardinals and then win two more rounds to qualify for the World Series for the fourth time in five years.

Los Angeles is the Yankees of the West Coast. But over the past few years – as the Dodgers have won eight straight NL West titles before this season and the 2020 title – it has become clear that they are outmatching the Yankees. Could the Yanks at least start to dent that belief, while reiterating how difficult it is to win it all? since the Dodgers would then continue to have only one ring since 1989 despite all their money spent.

More importantly, if it was that World Series game for the Judge’s Yankees, they would also play the defense of the last team to repeat as champions.

It would be the triple round for Jeter, the 1998-2000 Yankees.