Finally.
At the end of what has seemed like the longest September in Yankee history, the Bombers finally clinched the playoffs last night when they defeated the Toronto Blue Jays. A few things strolled across my mind as the final out was recorded:
1. Congratulations to the Yankees. They’ve worked hard to get to where they are and it’s great to see them get into the playoffs. We knew from the beginning of the year that they would most likely end up here, but that doesn’t make the act of clinching the playoffs any less special. The ultimate goal is to win the World Series, but you’ve got to make the playoffs before you do. The Yankees have accomplished that step and we should celebrate it, just like they did last night.
2. OH PEACE, BOSTON! With the win, the Yankees eliminated the Boston Red Sox from playoff contention and that’s always something sweet. Seriously, though, considering all the injuries that team went through, along with under performances from Josh Beckett and John Lackey, it’s pretty crazy that they were able to hang around this long. They remind me, in a way, of the 2008 Yankees: they will miss the playoffs, but actually did pretty well considering the roster at the end of the season. Like the 2008 Yankees, they will likely have a similar record to a team that DOES make the playoffs and that must sting just as badly as missing the playoffs all together.
3. The ridiculous lineups we’ll see in the next few days will definitely bring a smile to my face. Tomorrow, I’m sure we’ll see a Scranton heavy lineup. There is, however, one crazy thing I kind of sort of want to happen: part of me wants Andrew Brackman to get a start. I know it’s probably not going to happen because he hasn’t started for a while and the likelihood of the Big Brack seeing innings is a long shot, but it would be cool to see him pitch.
4. Bring on the Rangers or Twins in the first round. I don’t care whom the Yankees face in the ALDS, I’m confident they can beat that team, even if they don’t have home field advantage.
5. Most importantly: thank you to all of you out there in Internet-land. This was my first season here at TYU and I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy this season nearly as much without my fellow writers and, of course, you the readers. Whether I’ve talked with you here, on River Ave. Blues, or on Twitter, thank you for reading and you’ve truly made my fan and writer experience more enjoyable.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
2 Responses to Upon Making the Playoffs
Leave a Reply
TIQ IQ
It’s been a pleasure to read your posts throughout the season, Matt. Thanks for everything and keep it up!
I don’t know if you can compare their rotation to the rotation we ended up with in 08 (Ponson and Rasner still give me nightmares) but it does seem like for 3 years now the AL East has eliminated a team from contention that was only bad by AL East standards. It will be interesting to see 1. how Boston bounces back from missing the playoffs and what kind of moves they make and 2. to see if Tampa can still hold their own and make it back to the playoffs next year once they lose some guys in this free agent class.