Most random 2025 Yankees pitcher possible just hurt NYY in Wild Card race

The New York Yankees were teetering on the edge of surrendering their grip on a playoff spot of any kind just a few weeks ago, so you'll forgive us for continuing to watch the bottom of the Wild Card race like hawks.

These days, the Yankees hold the No. 1 Wild Card spot by a thread, and are separated from the Mariners in the bottom spot by four games in the loss column. There's a gap of six games in the loss column between New York and Texas/Kansas City, the two thirstiest teams attempting to sneak into the field. Six games isn't bad. But we all know what the Yankees are about to encounter for their next 12 contests. The larger that gap, the better. Some thunder is coming, and the Yanks are lucky they built up a relatively significant advantage before being asked to rise to the challenge.

The Royals were off on Monday, but the Rangers played late in the desert, and were a matter of inches away from falling to seven back of the Yankees in the loss column. Out of that trio of chasers (including Cleveland), it's hard not to consider Texas the most dangerous, given their standout rotation (even without Nathan Eovaldi) and sleeping giant offense (have you watched Wyatt Langford lately?).

Trailing 5-3 in the ninth, Jake Burger tripled in a run with one out in his return from the Injured List, setting up Texas for an easy tie. That's when Arizona signaled for ... I'm sorry, Jake Woodford and his 5.00+ ERA? The same Jake Woodford who opted out of his minor-league deal with the Yankees in early June after posting a 4.54 ERA in 10 outings?

Yup. This was the best the D-Backs had to offer under duress, and it almost worked. Woodford K'd Josh Jung, then got to one strike away against Kyle Higashioka before walking him. He again drew the count even at two strikes on rookie Cody Freeman, who refused to become the final out, looping a telegraphed sweeper into right to tie the game.

The Rangers then rallied for two more runs in the 10th to capture this one from the jaws of defeat.

Yankees castoff Jake Woodford blew Monday's D-Backs lead over the Rangers to clog up Wild Card race

This one was just another reminder for the Yankees, as if they needed one: Don't count on non-playoff teams to do your bidding for you. When you need to win baseball games to secure your postseason fate, win baseball games. Nobody's going to help you.

The Yankees have — all of a sudden — a few larger pursuits in their sights, including the No. 1 overall playoff seed in the American League (seriously, they're two losses back). But that doesn't mean they can afford to neglect the very bottom of the pool, and Monday represented a golden chance to gain, foiled by someone who ejected himself from the organization earlier this summer.