Yankees with opportunity to clinch postseason berth
As the Boston Red Sox enter town for a four-game set in the Bronx, the Yankees magic number is down to three to clinch a postseason berth. With that being said, the Yankees have a prime opportunity to clinch that playoff berth tonight. A win over the Red Sox, which would be the Yankees 10,000 win of all-time, and a loss by either the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim or the Houston Astros will propel the Bombers into the postseason for the first time since 2012.
#Yankees can clinch #postseason berth tonight if they beat Red Sox AND either A's beat Angels OR Mariners beat Astros.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 28, 2015
The Yankees will send Ivan Nova to the mound while the Red Sox will send Eduardo Rodriguez. Nova is coming off a great performance in his last start against the Toronto Blue Jays. He threw 5 2/3 of one run baseball in his first start since being taken out of the rotation. The American League Wild Card race is in for a fun finish in the last week of the season. Currently, the Astros hold the second wild card position, sitting four and a half games behind the Yankees. However, two teams are within a game and a half of Houston. The Angels (.5) and the Minnesota Twins (1.5) are knocking on the door for a wild card spot. This could set up for a crazy tie-breaker scenario, which will only help the Yankees in the one game playoff. If two of those three teams end up in a tie, they will play a one-game playoff the day after the final regular season game. The winner of that game will travel to the Bronx for the wild card game on October 6. Now, the real fun begins. If all three teams finish the regular season with the same record, they will begin a crazy playoff system. Each team will be designated either A, B or C based on a number of factors that can be found here. Teams A and B will play a must-win game the day after the regular season. The winner of that game will then play team C for a chance to play in the one-game wild card playoff. Got it? Good because this is a possibility the Yankees can only hope for. Having teams play 163 or 164 games will eliminate that teams best pitcher(s) for the wild card game in the Bronx. That can become a huge factor for the Yankees. Instead of possibly facing Dallas Keuchel in a one-game playoff, they might see Collin McHugh. However, with a week to go this can all change. But remember this, a Yankees win along with a loss by either the Angels or Astros will give New York its first playoff berth since 2012.