After beating the Toronto Blue Rays 5-2 on Tuesday night, the New York Yankees finally can pop their champagne bottles. The Yankees have finally clinched the American League East.
With a 95-59 record, the New York Yankees can rest easy knowing they punched their ticket to the postseason. The last time the Yankees won the AL East was in 2019. After clinching the AL East, the Yankees are tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers with 20 division titles, sitting only one behind the Atlanta Braves at 21.
So what is next for the Yankees?
Do the New York Yankees rest their starters?
With only eight games left of the season, what strategy should the Yankees go with heading into the postseason? Should they rest some starters? Will the Yankees rest Aaron Judge knowing he only needs two home runs to break Roger Maris’s home run record? Clinching the AL East is huge for the Yankees, especially this year with MLB’s new playoff format, the two division winners with the best records, the Yankees and the Astros, will receive byes going into the ALDS.
Knowing the Yankees have extra rest, don’t be surprised if the Yankees play some of their starters the rest of the season. Yankees manager Aaron Boone will probably not play all of his starters in the remaining eight games. Look for Boone to shake up his lineup with some starters mixed with reserved players.
Will the Yankees allow Judge to go for 61?
Aaron Judge is sitting at 60 home runs with eight games left of the season. With the Yankees wrapping up their division, what else do the Yankees have to play for? The Yankees will do everything in their power to avoid any unnecessary injuries, but will they give their fans a chance to watch greatness? Judge is playing to get paid next season, but will he want to sit the remaining eight games? Knowing how competitive Judge is, Judge will most likely be very vocal about his playing time in the last remaining eight games.
Being a Yankee fan, clinching the AL East is one step closer to their end goal, but if Judge can be in the record books, no one can likely hold him back. Look for the Yankees to start Judge throughout the last homestand of the season against Baltimore, beginning on Friday. The New York Yankees will give him one last shot to break the record in front of his home crowd. If Judge fails to hit 61 at home, the Yanks could rest him some during the last four road games against the Rangers.
With that said, clinching the American League East allowed the Yankees to get one step closer to winning their 28th World Series.