The race for the wild card is going down to the wire, and the New York Yankees’ strong domination is slipping away. Their recent slip came on Friday when the Yankees lost a crucial match to Tampa Bay Rays by 4-3.
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Fans were disappointed with Manager Aaron Boone’s decision to leave Aroldis Chapman in the bullpen and sending Domingo German and Albert Abreu. The New York Yankees established a strong lead to reach the AL wild-card spot. However, in the last few matches, things have not been going in their favor.
Yankees’ manager explains his decision
New York Yankees have been pretty inconsistent this season, keeping their fans on the edge. Albeit they were still dominating the wild card race until Wednesday. The Toronto Blue Jays broke their 7 game winning streak by 6-5. And then their loss on Friday against Tampa Bay Rays left the Yankees fans very disappointed.
However, this time, the blame was on the team’s manager, Aaron Boone, for making the wrong call. Apparently, in the ninth and crucial innings, Aaron sent Albert Abreu, in place of Aroldis Chapman, who is more experienced. And the team eventually lost.
However, Aaron defended Albert and his performance on the field. He said, “Between him and Luetge, we know we got 2 outs there and then they probably gonna hit for Arozarena and Franco from the left side.”
“Just felt like matchup-wise it was good, and I thought Albert did a good job also of getting [Randy] Arozarena out. He puts Franco on the ground, and he just found a hole with it. But I thought he came in and threw the ball well.”
Aaron Boone talks about the decision to bring Albert Abreu in the 9th inning: pic.twitter.com/cShBLXp06K
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 2, 2021
Can New York Yankees still make it to the play-off?
While their position in standings has become fragile after the loss on Friday, they are still in the race. The four teams that are fighting for the two wild-card spots are Yankees, Mariners, Red Sox, and Blue Jays. Yankees have won 91 matches and lost 69.
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However, even Red Sox are not too far behind as they have clinched 90 and lost 70. Mariners stand at 89-71, whereas the Blue Jays are at 89-71.
Yankees need to play two more matches and win just one to secure their spot. Do you think the Yankees will recover their morale and make their spot in the post-season?
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Also read: New York Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton Reveals the Secret Behind His Impressive Batting Form