The top Yankees victories of the 2010s

10. vs. Chicago Cubs (May 5, 2017 @ Wrigley Field)– On a bright and windy Friday afternoon in Chicago, the Yankees began a three-game interleague series against the defending World Series Champion Cubs. The team was off to a great start and had some young up-and-comers getting a taste of the show for a full season. This was the first true test for these Yankees to see if they could compete against the top teams in the league.

The Yanks played through the tough conditions as best as they could but couldn’t get anything going offensively. Kyle Hendricks, Brian Duensing, and Pedro Strop prevented the Bronx Bombers from sniffing home plate all day long. The Cubs offense wasn’t doing much either, but they did manage to scratch two runs on the board thanks to home runs by Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber.

The Cubs brought this 2-0 lead into the top of the ninth. With Hector Rondon on the mound, the Yankees managed to get two on with two out for Brett Gardner. The veteran Yankee quickly fell into an 0-2 hole. With the team down to their last strike and an anxious Wrigley Field crowd watching intently, Gardner smashed the ball over right field wall for a dramatic two-out, go-ahead home run. A stunned crowd watched a pumped Gardner circle the bases and cross home plate. Just like that, the tide had turned, and the Yankees held on to win 3-2 in the bottom half of the inning.

Analysis: This was a thrilling ending and it showed that the 2017 Yankees were a resilient group of guys who should be taken seriously. The fact that it was done against the defending champs and AT Wrigley Field, makes it that much sweeter. It also led to a three-game sweep for the Yankees.