Yankees clinch MLB playoff berth: Bombers, led by MVP favorite Aaron Judge, still eyeing AL East title

The New York Yankees became the latest team to clinch a playoff spot on Tuesday, doing so in dramatic fashion on a walk-off win vs. the White Sox after a ninth-inning comeback. The Yankees have now made the postseason in back-to-back seasons and in eight of their last nine attempts. This also marks the franchise’s 60th playoff appearance.

Down 2-1 headed into the bottom of the ninth, Anthony Volpe scored the tying run on a wild pitch from Chicago reliever Brandon Eisert before José Caballero drove in Aaron Judge for the winning run.

The extent of New York’s playoff berth is to be determined since the Yankees remain in the hunt for both the American League’s top seed and the East division crown. The Yankees entered Tuesday trailing the Toronto Blue Jays by two games in both races. It’s worth noting the Blue Jays won the season series (8-5), meaning the Yankees will have to beat them outright to prevail.

“First box to check, right?” manager Aaron Boone said after the game Tuesday. “We got to get in. We’re in. Don’t take that shit for granted. Yeah, we’re in the playoffs. We got a lot more to do, right? We’ve got a lot bigger goals. Enjoy this.” 

The Yankees can credit their success to yet another terrific season from Judge, who may well win consecutive AL MVP awards. Offseason additions like slugger Cody Bellinger, lefty Max Fried, and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt also ranked among the 10 most productive players on New York’s roster, according to Baseball Reference’s metrics.

In a sense, a down year would’ve been understandable. The Yankees lost outfielder Juan Soto to the New York Mets through free agency, then saw ace Gerrit Cole succumb to Tommy John surgery back in the spring, before he could throw even a single regular-season pitch. Yet the Yankees were able to weather those setbacks, as well as losing months in June and July. As of Tuesday, they had the best run differential in the entire American League.

The Yankees will wrap up their regular season with two more games against the White Sox and then three against the Baltimore Orioles, one of the year’s most disappointing clubs.

The aforementioned Blue Jays are the only other AL club to clinch a postseason spot to date. The Seattle Mariners, seeking their first division crown since 2001, would seem to be next up.