With a chance to punch the Yankees’ postseason ticket and Anthony Volpe already scoring on a game-tying wild pitch, José Caballero battled White Sox reliever Steven Wilson with runners on first and second and two outs in the ninth inning on Tuesday night.
“‘I gotta get the job done,’” Caballero thought to himself. “That’s the only thing that was going through my mind.”
Once an irritating adversary under the employment of the Mariners and Rays, Caballero has become the Yankees’ pest since being acquired from Tampa Bay before the trade deadline. Usually, he instigates on the basepaths, using his blazing speed and distracting antics to make things happen.
But on Tuesday, Caballero’s bat worked magic, as he fouled off five pitches and singled off of Wilson’s ninth offering. The bloop to center scored Aaron Judge, wrapped up a 3-2 walk-off win, and sparked what the Yankees hope will be the first of several postseason-related celebrations in the coming weeks.
“He’s been incredible,” Judge said of Caballero, who entered the game as a pinch-runner in the eighth. “He’s been causing havoc against us for years in Seattle and Tampa Bay, so I’m excited to have him with us.”
Caballero literally soaked in the moment inside the Yankees’ clubhouse, where champagne bottles were popped and beers were chugged as the Bombers boogied in the Bronx.
“It’s amazing. It’s the best feeling I ever had,” Caballero said with the Yankees’ Player of the Game belt draped over his shoulder and neon green protective goggles resting above his eyes. “It’s my first time in the postseason, so I’m just trying to enjoy my time.”
The Yankees’ return to the postseason — the team lost the 2024 World Series to the Dodgers — didn’t always appear guaranteed, as a hot start to the year preceded what has become an annual summer swoon.
Plagued by sloppy play for much of that stretch, Aaron Boone’s squad went 27-36 from May 30 to Aug. 10 and fell out of first place in the American League East despite leading the division by seven games on May 28. Still, Boone and company always insisted that the Yankees would be alright, maintaining the even-keel messaging that has been a staple of the manager’s eight-year tenure.
“That’s our life,” Boone said before Tuesday’s clincher. “You gotta be good at ‘we got another one tomorrow’ no matter how good or bad yesterday was.”
Lately, the days have typically been better, as the Yankees own an MLB-best 27-12 record since Aug. 11.
“You’re gonna go through some good times, some bad times. It’s really about how you respond,” Judge said as his teammates showered him with booze and well-deserved MVP chants. “All the guys in this room have a good mindset. They’re hungry. We want to get back, and we want to put the Yankees on top.”
With five games left in the regular season and a playoff appearance locked in, the Yankees still have unfinished business before the postseason.
Their division hopes are alive and well, as they are now just one game behind the first-place Blue Jays after Toronto lost to the Red Sox on Tuesday. Toronto holds the tiebreaker after going 8-5 in head-to-head play this season, but the Yankees believe they can reclaim the East.
“We’re very focused on the division,” said the always confident Jazz Chisholm Jr., who joined the Yankees’ exclusive 30-30 club this season. “We want to win the division. This isn’t it for us. This is only like a small step. Step 2 is winning the division. Step 3 is going to the World Series after that.
“We’re really focused on winning the World Series.”
Chisholm went on to reiterate that he believes the Yankees are “the best team in the league.” He also warned that they are “coming to prove a point” this October after losing the Fall Classic to Los Angeles in five games last year.
Players who weren’t on that squad had the same attitude as they partied in the pinstripers’ plastic-covered clubhouse.
“We’re going for everything, man,” Caballero said. “We’re going for the trophy.”
With the division still within reach, the Yankees lead the Red Sox for the AL’s top Wild Card spot by three. If the playoffs were to begin right away, the Yanks would host Boson in the best-of-three Wild Card Series, which begins Sept. 30.
Should the Yankees play in the Wild Card round, they will have to decide who their No. 3 starter will be with Max Fried and Carlos Rodón set for Games 1 and 2. Luis Gil, is in contention with rookies Cam Schlittler and Will Warren.
“I feel good about our five guys,” Boone said. “I feel good about any one of them starting a game, but we’ll see. As we get closer, as this week unfolds, we’ll start to have a better idea and a better feel of how we want to set things up.”
On Tuesday, Gil continued to yield solid results despite underwhelming metrics.
In addition to two earned runs over six innings, the righty tallied four hits, two walks, three strikeouts and 89 pitches. However, Gil’s average fastball velocity was down 1.9 mph, and the pitch induced just one whiff. Then again, Gil’s entire arsenal, which also includes a slider and a changeup, only bore three whiffs on 37 swings.
Gil has also struggled with command, walking 31 batters over 52 innings, but he pitched in the ALCS and World Series last year. Schlittler and Warren don’t have postseason experience, though that won’t necessarily determine the Yankees’ rotation plans.
Tuesday’s win also featured a second-inning RBI double from Austin Wells before Yankees relievers Fernando Cruz, Tim Hill and Luke Weaver logged three scoreless innings.
The bullpen has been the Yankees’ biggest issue this season, as the unit entered Tuesday’s game with a 4.49 ERA, which ranked 23rd in baseball. The group has been worse since a trade deadline makeover, recording a 5.21 ERA since Aug. 1. Only the lowly Rockies and Nationals have been worse.
The Yankees have had other problems along the way this year, including Anthony Volpe’s all-around performance at shortstop and a slew of injuries earlier in the season.
The strength of Judge’s throwing arm also remains uncertain after he quickly rehabbed a right flexor strain, but Boone believes some of the Yankees’ other worries have resolved themselves in recent weeks.
“I never want to get to the point where we’ve figured it out. This game will humble your butt in a hurry. But I do feel like those question marks we had, we had the answers in there,” the skipper said. “We’re gonna walk into the playoffs with a really good team capable of beating you a lot of different ways. We can at least feel good about that.”
Despite some lingering concerns, Boone isn’t the only Yankee who thinks the team has the pieces it needs to win it all this October.
The franchise hasn’t won a championship since 2009 — that’s eons in Yankees years — but this club is hot at the right time, and other AL contenders have their own imperfections to worry about.
“It’s going to be a fun postseason,” said Judge, who will look to improve his .205 playoff average. “We’ve got the right guys. We’ve got the right mindset, and that’s what I think it really takes.”
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