PLAYOFF & RUNNING
YANKEES BEAT JAYS TO PUNCH POSTSEASON TICKET
TORONTO — They will refocus pretty quickly, these 2017 Yankees. They will say they have not yet surrendered on the pipe dream that is winning the AL East, will talk about what a dangerous wild-card team they could be at the least with all the power in their lineup and bullpen. Let’s table that for a moment. Let’s try to acknowledge and honor achievement in the here and now. Let’s try to remember that four months into last season the Yankees were the biggest sellers in the game and in spring training this year there were way more questions about rebuilding than the playoffs. “It turned out,” Chase Headley said, “that we were a lot better than a lot of people thought we were.” Headley said this as a river of alcohol formed at his feet, as teammates doused in champagne, beer and euphoria partied around him. Not long ago Rob Refsnyder was considered a great hope from the Yankee system. The symbolism was fitting, therefore, that a player cast off because a much better brand of youngsters pushed onto the Yankees roster grounded a ball to Greg Bird at 7:02 p.m. on Sept. 23, 2017. Bird stepped on first, retired Refsnyder and the Yankees had clearly distanced themselves from rebuilding to rejoicing. They were in the playoffs again. “That rebuild went quicker than anyone thought,” CC Sabathia said with a smile. The Yankees beat the Blue Jays 5-1. That assured that the Yankees are — at minimum — a wild card, with the strong likelihood that they will host the Twins on Oct. 3. They have a weekplus now to still try to run down the Red Sox and more probably line themselves up for that wild-card game. A weekplus, therefore, to discuss the journey ahead. But, really, think about who the Yankees were six months ago, at Steinbrenner Field, and think about who they are now. Think about the transformation from wide doubts to wild card, preseason uncertainty to postseason clinching, from reservations about every phase of the roster to a team deep enough to get to October. “I understood the questions that were coming at us in spring training, I understood where it was coming from,” Gardner said. “But I said this all along not just now, I really thought we would be good.” To be good — actually better than good — the Yankees had to get from there to here, from that ocean of questions to this river of champagne and beer and euphoria. Remember, Aaron Judge had struck out in half his at-bats last year and we weren’t sure if he could even beat out Aaron Hicks to be the right fielder. Luis Severino was among the majors’ worst starters awash in a groundswell that he was better suited to be a reliever.
With a celebratory beer in hand, Gardner called them “our two most important players.”
Remember, Chad Green failed to make the team as a starter. He became one of the majors’ most dominant relievers.
Remember, Jordan Montgomery wasn’t even on the 40-man roster or in the conversation for the rotation when spring training began. No AL rookie has started more games than him this season.
Remember, that Ronald Torreyes was some little guy who already had pingponged through seven organizations by age 24. He became an invaluable fill-in during injuries to Didi Gregorius and Starlin Castro.
Remember, Jacoby Ellsbury and Headley were contractual albatrosses. They became vital contributors, earning more and more playing time as the cauldron of the season grew hottest.
Remember, that in March Michael Pineda was the No. 2 starter and Tyler Clippard the seventh-inning set-up man and Chris Carter the first baseman against lefty pitching.
Remember, that Sonny Gray was with the Oakland A’s, and Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle were White Sox, and there was no strong belief that the Yankees would be buyers at the trade deadline. But Brian Cashman saw a team worth investing in and on clinch day, Gray earned the win with another strong start. Frazier homered. Robertson — like Green on this day — authored another 1-2-3, two-strikeout inning of master relief.
“It’s a special group,” manager Joe Girardi said.
They have more ahead of them and they are assured of that now. There will be at least a suddendeath game, maybe a lot more than that. These Yanks have a deep, talented roster — way deeper and more talented than envisioned in March.
But there will be plenty of time to delve into what is still to come. If you are a Yankee or a Yankees fan or simply enjoy the story of how a team got from there to here — with here being the playoffs — take a moment to embrace the journey so far of the 2017 Yankees.
From preseason doubts to postseason clinch.