The Yankees May Have Begun Their Run

Maybe, just maybe, the Yankees have begun the run that will lead them not only into, but through, the postseason.

They began last week last Monday night, Labor Day, with a home series against the Kansas City Royals, who are probably going to the Playoffs themselves. Carlos Rodón did not have a good start, but the Yankees got home runs from Alex Verdugo and Austin Wells. Wells had 4 RBIs, and Gleyber Torres went 3-for-5 with an RBI, and has broken out of a poor season with the bat. The Yankees won, 10-4.

Marcus Stroman had a bad start on Tuesday night, but it wouldn't have mattered if he'd had a good one: Seth Lugo had a brilliant start for Kansas City, going 7 shutout innings, allowing 3 hits and no walks, striking out 10. Torres singled to lead off the 1st inning, and singled again in the 6th, and Wells singled in the 7th. That's all the baserunners the Yankees got. The Royals won, 5-0.

Wednesday night's contest felt like a must-win game. Luis Gil allowed only 1 run over the 1st 5 innings, but at 97 pitches, Aaron Boone (and Brian Cashman) didn't let him pitch any longer. Juan Soto homered in the 6th inning. But Clay Holmes, having earned his way out of the closer's role, was brought in to protect a 2-1 lead in the 7th, and couldn't. It was his 12th blown save of the season. I had to look up the record: It's 14, by Bruce Sutter, with the 1976 Chicago Cubs. And Sutter is a Hall-of-Famer. Holmes is not.

The game went to extra innings. With the stupid "ghost runner" rule, each team scored a run in the 10th. Jon Berti had been activated off the Injured List, and was the ghost runner to start the bottom of the 11th. Soto grounded out, which moved Berti over to 3rd. The next batter was Aaron Judge, and 1st base was open, and his run meant nothing. Naturally, the Royals chose to walk him intentionally.

That meant pitching to Jazz Chisholm. We'll never know if pitching to Judge would have been a mistake. Pitching to Chisholm was: He singled Berti home. Yankees 4, Royals 3. Luke Weaver was the winning pitcher, pitching to 5 batters, and getting them all out. He may now be the closer.

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The Scum came in. For 4 games, starting on Thursday night, the Yankees would face the Boston Red Sox, proven cheaters, with their manager Alex Cora, a proven cheater with another team. Torres hit a leadoff home run in the 1st inning. That was all that Nestor Cortés needed, as he went 5 innings, allowing 1 run on 3 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts.

But he threw 92 pitches, so he was removed. The bullpen held the Sox, but the Yankees couldn't get it done. After Torres' homer, for the rest of the regulation 9 innings, the Yankees got 5 singles, a double, 5 walks and a hit-by-pitch -- but no runs.

In the bottom of the 10th, with Berti again the ghost runner, Soto singled him home with the winning run. Yankees 2, Red Sox 1. Winning pitcher: Believe it or not, Holmes.

On Friday night, Clarke Schmidt pitched 5 shutout innings, but lost control in the 6th. Through the 1st 6 innings, the Yankees got 3 singles, a double, and 3 walks, but no runs, and trailed, 4-0.

Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety. Anthony Volpe led off the bottom of the 7th with a walk. Verdugo drew a walk. Torres singled Volpe home. And Soto drew a walk, to load the bases for Judge. Judge had gone 16 straight games without a home run. He put an end to that with a blast into the left field stands. Yankees 5, Red Sox 4. The much-maligned Mark Leiter Jr. was the winning pitcher, and Weaver got another save.

If had told me, after the 2003 World Series, blown in large part (but not in whole) by Jeff Weaver, that I would one day cheer a Yankee reliever named Weaver, I would have asked what drug you were on. Yet, here we are.

Saturday afternoon, 2 great wins over the Red Sox behind us, Gerrit Cole on the mound? I was confident. I shouldn't have been: The "ace" was great for 3 innings, then fell apart, allowing 7 runs before being removed in the 5th. Red Sox 7, Eagles 1, with Torres, again, coming through, in this case with the team's only RBI.

So the Sunday afternoon game also felt "must-win." Chisholm led off the bottom of the 2nd with a single, and Giancarlo Stanton doubled him home. Torres and Judge both homered in the 3rd, Torres with his 14th, Judge with his 53rd.

Rodón made the lead stand up, allowing 2 runs into the 6th inning. The bullpen took it from there, keeping the Sox off the board. Yankees 5, Red Sox 2, taking 3 out of 4 from The Scum.

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For weeks, it looked like the Yankees didn't have what it takes to win the American League Eastern Division. They were reprieved by the Baltimore Orioles also being unable to take hold of the Division. Going into tonight's MLB games -- neither the Yanks nor the O's are scheduled -- the Yanks are 87-63, 3 games ahead of the O's. The Yanks' Magic Number to clinch a Playoff berth is 3; the Division, 10.

If the current standings hold to the end of the season, the Yankees would have the top seed all the way through the AL Playoffs. If they reach the World Series, the only National League teams that would have home-field advantage over them would be the Philadelphia Phillies (whom they swept in Philadelphia in July) and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The remaining regular-season schedule, with all times Eastern Time and PM:

* Away to the Seattle Mariners: Tomorrow and Wednesday at 9:40, Thursday at 4:10.

* Away to the Oakland Athletics -- for the last time, unless a miracle saves them from moving in the off-season: Friday at 9:40, Saturday at 9:07, and Sunday at 4:07.

* Home to the Baltimore Orioles: Tuesday the 24th, Wednesday the 25th, and Thursday the 26th, all 7:05. This series will likely decide the Division title.

* Home to the Pittsburgh Pirates: Friday the 27, at 7:05; Saturday the 28th, at 1:05; and Sunday the 29th, at 3:05.

Has the big postseason run begun? We will find out.