After a two-year hiatus, the once-perennial contending New York Yankees are back in the postseason—even if it’s only the single-elimination wild card play-in game against Houston.
Of course, little is really expected of this team.
Why? We have no idea what to make of this team in transition. It’s remarkable that they got this far, but it’s far from the teams most Yankee fans remember in the playoffs.
Core Four No More
The last time New York was on this stage—the 2012 ALCS against Detroit—things were much different.
The 27-time World Series champions still had the un-hittable Mariano Rivera in the bullpen. Derek Jeter was still in his prime—he led the league in hits as a 38-year-old—until a broken ankle suffered in Game 1 would end his season and severely limit the rest of his career. The always clutch Andy Pettitte was still there as the dependable big-game starter who won 19 career playoff games.
Meanwhile, A-Rod was caught getting the phone numbers of women in the stands.
