New York Yankees are swallowing the American League whole

The New York Yankees took on three tasks at once over the last three weeks. Now that the road trip, 18 games without a day off, and 10 in a row against the best the AL has to offer is almost over, it’s time to digest what this team is doing.

The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox will play three games starting Tuesday for control of the AL East. Does anyone who can pronounce his r’s still think that Boston will be leading the division when it’s over?

No, not with the way this Yankees team is playing…and winning.

That part isn’t much of a surprise as the talent level on this team is undeniably high. But it is how they have been winning, and how often, that has eliminated many of the questions coming into the season, and replaced them with a new and single query: Is this team special?

Those in Yankees universe know exactly what that means; they’ve seen it before. And they are used to a delay.

The Way Back Machine

On May 12th, 2009, the Yanks were 15-17. They had already endured losing streaks of four and five games. Worse yet, they had been swept by the Red Sox in all five of their encounters, some losses coming in embarrassing fashion.

But the next day they started a nine-game winning streak highlighted by Walk-Off Weekend. They would go on to win the division over the Sox, as well as the season series. Even the maddeningly inconsistent A.J. Burnett made the start of the year against Josh Beckett, and A-Rod capped a classic.

Big hits were not unusual for that man in 2009 as both his first and last swings of the season produced home runs.

Long before that, though, long before the Yankees won 103 games and the World Series, it was clear that team was special. Yankees fans probably remember when the realization dawned on them and the team: During that nine-game winning streak.

Those are common enough in baseball; even teams with losing records might have them. But there was something different about that run. So many of the wins were improbable, not just the walk-offs.

It was like recognizing someone as a Hall-of-Famer by watching him play: That team just looked special.

Even Wayer Back?

There was a shorter wait for the immense talent on that 1998 team to emerge. Still, though, there was some concern. A team that had won it all in ’96, and was now both improved after the loss to the Indians in the ’97 playoffs as well as pissed about it, started 1-4.

No one reading this column needs to be told how Yankees fans tend to react to that kind of start. Some of you were there and probably reacted. So a team meeting was called, and the winning soon started. They turned it around and won 15 of their next 17 games, and just never stopped.

When the dust settled, the Bronx Bombers had steamrolled the field, going 114-48. And established a dynasty. Again, though, even before they became the greatest team in post-1960’s baseball, it was clear they were special.