The plastic was up, and the champagne was popped on Tuesday night. But on Wednesday night, the celebration grew even stronger.
For the first time since 2019, the New York Yankees are AL East Division champions. With the division title, the Yankees also secure a first-round bye in the playoffs and will await a wild card team to play in the ALDS.
Fittingly, the division was clinched in Toronto against the Blue Jays; a team that was picked by many writers and analysts to win the division.
This was the Yankees 20th AL East title in the current format, but they now have bigger fish to fry.
After a brief, uncharacteristic homer drought, Judge sent a screamer over the left field fence to break-up a 3-3 tie in an eventual 6-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays at Rodgers Centre on Wednesday.
On top of matching the AL home run record of 61 set by another Yankee right fielder, Roger Maris, in 1961, Judge also still has his sights set on the American League triple crown.
The pressure really seemed to set in over the last stretch of home games, the crowd seemingly bearing down on him every pitch wanting to catch a glimpse of history. Roars and cheers would arise and vanish in an instant to a hushed silence as the pitch would come to Judge, the anticipation hanging on every pitch.
But Aaron Judge is human, and so were the pitchers walking him repeatedly until he found his pitch.
Now that some weight is coming off his shoulders, maybe that will allow him to loosen up and send 62 into orbit at some point over the coming days. He is, however, a team-first player. If he gets it or not, his ultimate goal is a World Series win for the Yankees.
“..definitely some relief,” Judge told YES Network after the game. “Getting to 61, you try not to think about it but it creeps into your head. But getting the chance to do it in a Yankee win, and especially under the night where Gerrit Cole ties the all-time single season [franchise] strikeout record] – that’s a pretty special day right there.”
Once the postseason hits though, all bets are off and everything resets. Yes, the Yankees want to use the rest of these games to get ready and make sure all is right, but everything resets in October.
The Yankees will have to try and overcome some demons from the past if they want to win it all. First, they have to get through the first round – and the team they will play is a mystery. If they can get through that, they will have to do something they have failed to do in the last 5 years.
If they make it to the World Series, any one of a multitude of daunting teams could be waiting – from the Mets, to the Dodgers, Braves, or even Cardinals.
One thing that’s certain: they will go in with the best offensive player in baseball. If the cast around him can do their part and the pitching holds up, they may have what it takes to go the distance for the first time in 13 years.
A World Series would eliminate all the misfortune they went through in August, and if they do take home the trophy, all’s well that ends well.
