Yankees: Get a load of this one. What happens if they tie the Sox?

The Yankees are in the final games of the 2017 season, knowing they will be an entry in the playoffs, with an outside chance of winning the Division. But how much of a chance do they have and what happens if they tie the Bosox? Oh, my.

The Yankees will face someone in that awful MLB idea of drama; the one-game winner takes all game on October 3rd. But when Brian Cashman made all those moves at the trade deadline, sacrificing prospects along the way, it wasn’t with the intention of merely making the playoffs; it was to win the Division.

The Red Sox currently have a three-game lead over the Yankees, and after today, each will have thirteen games remaining in the regular season. As I write this, both teams are losing today’s (Sunday) games.

But to make it more interesting and to paint the picture as black as it deserves to be, I’m going to put the Red Sox down with a win and the Yankees for a loss, increasing the margin to four games.

To end in a tie, Boston would need to go 5-9 and the Yankees 9-5. Or any combination of fourteen in which the spread is four games. Meaning, for example, if the Yankees run the table and go 14-0, Boston would be forced to turn in a 10-4.

We could play with the numbers all day, but the point is the Yankees have a better chance of tying the Red Sox than they do of passing them.

Yankees are poised to do their part

With the way they are playing, the Pinstripes are poised to do their part. The question, of course, is what about the Bosox? So far, they are keeping pace with New York, but stranger things have happened in baseball.

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And when the Sox are facing a declining Chris Sale, who leads the league innings pitched, and an ever-weeping or injured David Price, it’s not so far-fetched to think they could falter in the final two weeks of play.

And if it were to happen the two teams tie, Katie, bar the door. The tie-breaker would be played at Yankee Stadium, based on the Bombers holding an 11-8 edge in the season series. The winner goes on to face either Houston or Cleveland, depending on who ends up with the most wins.

But in this case, the loser doesn’t go home because they get another chance in the one-game Wild Card playoff to qualify for future play in the Second Season.

The never say die folks will have a field day with this one, but the fact remains, as Yogi Berra reminds us, it ain’t over til it’s over.

Next: Yankees problem is too many guys want the ball

Today in Yankees History (September 17, 1965)

Brought to you by National Pastime.

"In front of a capacity crowd at the ballpark in the Bronx, the Yankees pay tribute to Mickey Mantle in the first of three special days held in his honor. Prior to appearing in his 2000th career game, ‘The Mick’ tells the fans that he hoped to play another 15 years, but in reality will play his last major league contest in 1968."

Perhaps too late in life, Number Seven learned a hard lesson. You don’t get too many chances at these things, and one day before you know it, your life in baseball will have passed. This Yankees team seems to get that, and that why anything is possible in the incredible 2017 season.