Bye week will slow down Yankees in a good way.
The baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint.
You’ve heard the saying plenty of times.
But this year was a little bit of both for the New York Yankees, the top seed in the American League playoffs.
After outlasting the Baltimore Orioles for the AL East title, New York has five full days to rest before hosting Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Saturday.
Rust is a valid concern following a long layover, but the extra time off is ultimately what the Yankees need.
“It’s kind of like another All-Star break,” outfielder Alex Verdugo said, per MLB.com. “I think we’re just going to have to do a good job… the next couple of days before the ALDS, making sure our workouts are keeping the same energy and having some intensity to it.”
Every team, regardless of how they finished in 2024, endured the same mental and physical wear-and-tear that comes with playing 162 regular season games.
All 30 clubs ran the marathon, but at different paces.
Milwaukee strolled to the National League Central title, while Philadelphia’s trek to the NL East crown was just as leisurely for the most part.
Los Angeles and Cleveland opened up comfortable leads in the NL West and the AL Central, respectively, before staving off surges from challenging squads to secure their divisions.
Houston overcame a slow start and found its footing near the middle of the season to overtake Seattle in the AL West.
But New York’s path to winning the East felt like a frantic mid-September race from the jump.
The Yankees started hot and became the first team to 50 wins, yet at 50-22, they led the Orioles by just 3.5 games in the East entering play on June 15.
Then they hit a wall.
New York endured a 10-23 swoon that extended to late July and included injuries to key bats like first baseman Anthony Rizzo and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton.
Baltimore conveniently faltered during that time as well, and the Yankees fell no more than three games back of the Orioles for first place. Both squads recovered around the same time as the race toward the division title intensified.
New York ultimately prevailed, powering through with a 33-21 stretch from July 27 to Sept. 26. That run fittingly ended with a 10-1, division-sealing win over Baltimore, a victory that also secured the Yankees a first-round bye.
“I feel like we’ve been through a lot as a team already this year, so I’d like to think we’re battle-tested for what’s ahead,” manager Aaron Boone said after New York clinched its second AL East title in three seasons. “I’m really excited for these guys that persevered through a lot of moments in the season.”
Zooming out, the Yankees finished with baseball’s third-best record but never led their division by more than six games, and a cushion that large didn’t come until late September.
Aside from its victory in Sunday’s regular-season finale, New York’s 93 other wins weren’t for show—they were imperative.
The Yankees could not relax even when they were 28 games above .500 in mid-June. Given how well Baltimore was playing then too, it was apparent that an ill-timed slump could doom New York’s division title hopes. The Yankees were fortunate the Orioles fizzled for much of the summer.
So after going full-throttle for pretty much six months straight, New York deserves its time off.
Baltimore’s surprising early exit from last year’s playoffs proved that top seeds aren’t immune to potential rust, but that the Orioles team lacked the postseason experience that this year’s Yankees have.
Likely MVP Aaron Judge has appeared in 44 playoff games, while 25-year-old Juan Soto already has 29 games of postseason experience and a World Series ring.
On the mound, reigning Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole carries a 2.93 ERA across 17 playoff starts into October, and left-hander Carlos Rodon has two postseason outings to his name.
“I think we’re in a good spot,” Verdugo said. “Everybody is really confident with each other and with themselves. We know what we can do as a team. We understand the job at hand and what we have to do for the playoffs, so it’s going to be fun.”
The chase for a 28th championship will resume soon enough. For now, New York can take a much-needed breath.
