It feels like the New York Yankees are incapable of matching the Toronto Blue Jays’ insatiable desire to win. Their offense is relentless. They don’t strike out, and they come up clutch in the biggest moments. Plus, their pitching is sensational. All they do is strike the Yankees out.

With a 13-7 Game 2 loss in Toronto, the Yankees are facing elimination in a second straight series this postseason. And this time, it doesn’t feel like they have a chance to come back and win.

The last thing the Yankees need is to return to the Bronx facing elimination. Today, all the pressure is on the lefty ace Max Fried, who has been the stopper of the Yankees’ dreams all season. Despite six scoreless innings against Boston on Tuesday, though, the Yankees couldn’t get the win. Today, with a depleted bullpen, another six silent frames from Fried might not be enough for the Yankees.

Up to this point in his career, Max Fried’s postseason stats are not anything to write home about. But he did have that sensational start in the 2021 World Series in which he threw six scoreless innings to help the Atlanta Braves win the Commissioner’s Trophy.

The Yankees must hope Max Fried will give them length when he starts Game 2, because Game 1 was a disaster. The Yankees allowed 10 runs to the Toronto Blue Jays on 14 hits, and after Luis Gil got pulled in the third inning, the Yankees’ bullpen caved in. The Blue Jays’ win marked their first in the playoffs in nine years, and they showcased their dominance over the Yankees.

Aaron Boone’s decision to pull Gil early forced him to exhaust his bullpen. Gil had allowed a couple of solo home runs to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – his first homer since September 5 – and Alejandro Kirk, so his struggles on the mound were evident. However, he was locating his pitches much better in the third inning, and he was finally generating lateral movement on his slider. Then, with two outs in the third inning, he gave up a single to Guerrero, which ended his afternoon at 48 pitches.

It was Cam Schlittler’s destiny to beat the Boston Red Sox in the postseason. It was his destiny to put his teammates on his back. It was his destiny not just to beat Boston, but to dominate their entire lineup through eight scoreless innings.

With a 4-0 win in the decisive game of their Wild Card series, the Yankees have advanced to the ALDS. They are the first team in the current MLB Wild Card format to win their series after dropping the first game, and this victory snapped a three-game playoff series losing streak to Boston dating back to 2003.

Through his eight spectacular innings in just his 15th career start, Schlittler struck out 12 batters without allowing a single walk. Miraculously, he posted a better stat line than Garrett Crochet, who allowed one run in 7 2/3 innings in Game 1. The Red Sox weren’t ready for Schlittler’s firepower, and the rookie starter became the first MLB pitcher in postseason history ever to toss eight or more scoreless frames while walking 12 batters without issuing a walk. And he averaged 99 mph on his fastball and sinker.

“A star was born tonight,” manager Aaron Boone proclaimed.

It’s October 1, and the Yankees’ backs are already against the wall. They are facing elimination tonight as they host the Boston Red Sox in Game 2 of the 2025 MLB Wild Card series (6:08 PM ET, ESPN).

“We’re going to keep playing our game,” Aaron Judge proclaimed.

Garrett Crochet limited the Yankees’ lineup to one run yesterday, a home run by Anthony Volpe, as he shoved 7 2/3 innings of four-hit baseball while striking out 11 batters and never allowing a walk. The Yankees’ offense is due to break out against righty Brayan Bello tonight, especially after leaving the bases loaded with no outs in the bottom of last night’s ninth inning.

All the excitement.

All the anticipation.

Yankees-Red Sox. The greatest rivalry in sports.

The rivalry certainly benefited the Red Sox last night, but not the Yankees, who wasted 6 1/3 scoreless innings from Max Fried as they blew a 1-0 lead to Garrett Crochet, Aroldis Chapman, and the Boston Red Sox. The final score was 3-1, Boston. Now, the Yankees are facing elimination and the harsh reality that, in the current best-of-three MLB Wild Card series format, no team has ever recovered after losing the first game.

It’s been 11 months since Aaron Judge dropped that fly ball in center field, and the Yankees allowed five unearned runs in Game 5 of the World Series before watching the Los Angeles Dodgers hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy at Yankee Stadium. 11 months later, the Yankees have a shot at redemption.

This postseason is a continuation of last year’s playoffs. These Yankees have something to prove this year. The chip on their shoulder could not be larger. But they won’t get anywhere if they don’t win two games against the Boston Red Sox.

The New York Yankees did everything they could, but they couldn’t win their division. However, they beat Baltimore 3-2 for their eighth straight win, and finished their regular season tied with Toronto for the best record in the American League. The Yankees will face the Boston Red Sox in a best-of-three Wild Card series beginning tomorrow night in the Bronx.

It’s easy to remember all the tough Yankees losses this season, particularly to the Blue Jays, that have forced them to play a Wild Card series. But it’s also important to consider that the Yankees posted a league-best 29-12 record since August 12, including wins against top American League teams.

“A month-and-a-half ago, we were teetering,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone recalled. “To right the ship and then really solidify our position and then have a real shot at the East here all the way to the last day is hopefully something that serves us well.”

It’s coming down to the wire, and the wire could not be any shorter. With seven straight wins, including a series win over Baltimore, the Yankees remain tied with the Toronto Blue Jays for the lead in the American League East. And there’s only one game left to play this season.

“It’s kind of crazy,” manager Aaron Boone remarked. “162 games, and it’s going to come down to the last day. That’s the beauty of our sport.”

It’s almost October. The playoffs are almost here. But for the Yankees, every game is a playoff game from here on out.

After sweeping the Chicago White Sox last night, the Yankees remain tied with the Toronto Blue Jays for the division lead. Because Toronto holds the tiebreaker, the Yankees must finish at least one game ahead of them to win the American League East and receive a first-round bye. The only thing last night’s win guaranteed was home-field advantage for the Yankees if they play a Wild Card series.

Being a Giants fan is hard work.

Hard.

Work.

It feels like every game, something new happens, and somehow, it’s worse than what happened the week before. In Week 1, the Giants couldn’t score a touchdown. In Week 2, they couldn’t score enough touchdowns. And in Week 3, they couldn’t even kick!

“If they want New York to win, just tell me and give it to them already!”

The atmosphere in the American League East has gotten so heated that on Tuesday, Toronto’s George Springer – who once cheated his way to a World Series title – screamed this at a crew of umpires (Jomboy Media). The Boston Red Sox have taken two of three games from the Blue Jays to begin their three-game set. One Blue Jays loss tonight, coupled with a Yankees win, means the Yankees move into first place.

It’s hard to believe what we’re watching is real. Nine days ago, the Yankees sat five games behind Toronto for the lead in the AL East, and it felt like the Blue Jays had a lock on the division title. Yet somehow, the Yankees have climbed up the ladder to tie Toronto for the division lead. The Blue Jays own the tiebreaker over New York, but the division could go any which way.

“I always believed,” said Jazz Chisholm Jr. “Just looking at the names on this team and the talent around this clubhouse, how can you not believe in this team?”

What a weekend for the Bronx Bombers! They won three of four in Baltimore, and each game featured a monumental moment.

On Friday, the Yankees lost 4-2, but Jazz Chisholm Jr. became the third slugger in Yankees history to post a 30-30 season. Since the Yankees traded for Chisholm at the deadline last season, he’s hit to a .251 batting average with 42 home runs and 48 stolen bases. “I feel like [being in a winning atmosphere has] boosted my career, 100%, in different ways,” said Chisholm. “The winning mentality, the winning atmosphere, the way everybody in the front office, to the training staff, wants to win. This is how I felt like I grew up playing baseball, and what I needed to be around to be even more successful.”

The sensational Max Fried was stupendous in Baltimore last night as the Yankees cruised through nine shutout innings for a 7-0 win. It didn’t matter that they got into Baltimore at 3 AM, because their ace was wide awake. With just 87 pitches, Fried matched a career-high 13 strikeouts as he allowed just three hits and one walk across seven innings. Fried also earned his career-best 18th win of the season, which leads the majors. The Yankees couldn’t have asked for more from their ace as the playoffs creep closer.

Fried threw just 47 pitches across his first four innings, and he had only secured six strikeouts at that point. He managed to get the next seven in just three innings. There were eight starts in the middle of the season during which Fried was managing a blister, and he pitched to a 6.80 ERA. But in his last six starts, Fried has posted a 1.60 ERA.

Well, at least they showed they can score. After failing to find the end zone in Week 1, the Giants scored 37 points against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday… and lost. In overtime. They have now lost 16 of their last 17 games against Dallas, 14 straight against them, nine straight in their building, and eight straight against division opponents.

Amazingly, the Giants were able to score 37 points after an awful first quarter in which substitute left tackle James Hudson III became the first NFL player in the last century to be called for four penalties on one drive. That was the start of a game filled with storylines, including the Giants drawing 14 penalties for a franchise record 160 yards lost. There were a couple of questionable pass interference and roughing the passer penalties, but the Giants still lacked discipline for most of the game.

“Did you watch the game?” Dexter Lawrence II asked sarcastically. “We had too many penalties on defense. You’re not going to win games with all those penalties like that. We gave them too many second chances to bite at the apple.”

Last night, the Yankees secured another series win as they took another game from the Minnesota Twins. Their magic number to clinch a playoff spot is now 7 games.

One reason why the Yankees have been so successful this season is the emergence of Trent Grisham. The Big Sleep has become an everyday center fielder, and he has played hero numerous times this season. Sometimes, Grisham looks like he’s slumping at the plate. Yet, he finds a way to make you forget he ever struggled.

A little too close for comfort. 10 runs almost weren’t enough as the Yankees almost allowed the Minnesota Twins to overcome a 10-1 lead. The final score was 10-9, with the Yankees getting the win, thanks to nine runs scored against Twins starting pitcher Zebby Matthews. If it wasn’t for him, the Yankees would have lost this game.

After a 12-game gauntlet and a 7-0 shutout, the Yankees were desperate for a laugher. Instead, they kept everyone on the edges of their seats. By the sixth inning, the Twins were only down two runs after Cam Schlittler and Ryan Yarbrough combined to allow eight runs through 5 1/3 innings. Schlittler struggled from the beginning, falling into numerous full-count at-bats that he couldn’t escape from. The rookie is still struggling to adjust his arsenal at times. He often finds himself relying on his fastball – which is an elite pitch – but hitters can sense it, so he needs to mix up his pitch mix and location. He only gave up three hits, but he allowed four runs because of five walks and a two-run home run.

Look, I get it. It isn’t fun to finish a 12-game gauntlet, take a midnight plane from Boston to Minneapolis, not get to sleep until 5 AM, and play baseball the next day. That doesn’t give road teams much to work with when they travel overnight between cities without a day off. But that’s no excuse for putting up two hits and losing 7-0 to Simeon Woods Richardson, his 4.58 ERA, and the Minnesota Twins, especially when the Yankees are in a tight playoff race, with their Wild Card home-field advantage hanging by a thread.

Before last night, the Yankees were 125-45 against Minnesota in the regular season and postseason since 2002. That’s the best record in that span by any Major League Baseball team against a single opponent, which makes yesterday’s loss even harder to swallow. The Yankees now sit five games behind Toronto for the division lead, which means they’ll probably have to play a Wild Card series if they want to punch their playoff ticket. Home-field advantage is crucial in a Wild Card series, since all three games are played at the higher seed’s home venue, and the Yankees currently sit one game ahead of Boston for the first American League Wild Card spot.

If the 2025 Major League Baseball playoffs started today, the New York Yankees would be hosting the Boston Red Sox in a best-of-three Wild Card series. This weekend, the Yankees proved they can handle the Red Sox by winning the first two of three crucial games in Boston. The Yankees finished their 12-game gauntlet against playoff-bound American League teams with a 7-5 record.

“I think it was a good stretch for us, especially facing four good teams in a row,” said José Caballero. “It has a lot to say about this team. We’re ready for the playoffs.”

To recap, the Yankees took two of three from Houston, two of three from Toronto, and two of three from Boston during this gauntlet. They could only win one game against Detroit. The Yankees are now 17 games above .500, and they lead Boston by 1.5 games for the first Wild Card spot and sit four games behind Toronto for the division lead. At this point, it’s fair to assume that if the Yankees make the playoffs, they’ll have to play a Wild Card series.

Entering last night’s game, the Yankees had lost consecutive games by double-digit runs for the first time in franchise history. Last night, they flipped momentum back in their favor with a 9-3 laugher – much-needed as they prepare to battle the Red Sox. The Yankees lead Boston by a half-game in the standings, but the Red Sox hold the tiebreaker.

President Donald Trump attended last night’s Yankees game, and he visited with the team in the clubhouse beforehand. He cracked jokes with players, asking Anthony Volpe about his golf game, and he shook hands with the entire team, including Yankees captain Aaron Judge.

“No matter your beliefs, I think just especially today, 9/11, the strength and resilience that New York City showed during one of the darkest hours, darkest times, it’s just an important day for all of us to come together,” said Judge. “It’s just kind of a surreal moment, surreal day, and for us to come out with a big win, especially the last two losses we had, it was just an all-around great day. […] I guess we’ve got to have [President Trump] around more often if we’re going to go out there and score that many runs.”