Yankees: Success vs White Sox could give NYY hope in October

The New York Yankees are still on the fringes of even making it to the postseason, while Tony La Russa and the Chicago White Sox are running away with the AL Central as they try to cement themselves as a World Series contender. Despite that, it was Chicago who was one bad Zack Britton inning in Iowa away from getting swept.

The Bronx Bombers took home a 5-3 victory, as they overcome some more poor hitting and bullpen issues in the ninth inning on the back of some solid starting pitching and a Luke Voit home run in the clutch.

The Yankees might’ve let us down constantly over the course of the season given how much preseason hype this team had accrued, but if the Yankees have proven they can do anything this year, it’s the fact that they can stare down some of the best teams in the league and come out on top.

The Yankees won five of their six games against Chicago, with the Field of Dreams blemish the only negative mark on their record against the White Sox. If the team is playing well against contenders in the regular season, they should feel confident if they manage to sneak into October.

The Yankees have played well against the White Sox.

The White Sox aren’t the only above-average that the Yankees have played well against. New York sports a 4-2 record against the hated Houston Astros, and after dropping five of their first six games against Tampa Bay, they have won six of their last 10.

Yes, the White Sox blew several opportunities to take the lead. Yes, the big boppers in the lineup once again struggled with runners in scoring position. The bullpen was once again petrified in the ninth inning. This game won’t be submitted to the Yankee equivalent of the Criterion Collection.

Despite that, less-heralded players like Rougned Odor, who took Lucas Giolito deep in the second inning, and Nestor Cortes, who tossed six great innings as a starter, making plays against one of the best teams in the American League has to be music to their ears.

The one thorn in New York’s side among projected playoff teams is the Boston Red Sox, as the Yankees are just 3-10 against their nemesis from Massachusetts. With Tampa Bay running away with the division, the Yankees might be forced into a one-game playoff with Boston in the Wild Card, meaning they will have to overcome their Red Sox demons.

Even though the Chicago victory was ugly, the Yankees aren’t in a position to complain about the aesthetic quality of wins. This goes down in the books all the same as a 22-0 blowout would, and it goes to show that even when they are performing at half speed, they can beat elite teams.

Yankees: 3 series that will determine NYY’s playoff fate

The New York Yankees will be inches from the 2021 MLB Playoffs these next few weeks, and these three series will decide whether they get there.