The Yankees are a good way toward proving that their September/October version is their reality, not the June/July edition.
Midseason was miserable mainly because the Red Sox won five of six games against the Yankees to resuscitate their season from underperformance toward the playoffs. The Blue Jays won five of six to leapfrog the Yankees and take first in the AL East and pretty much assure they would win a tiebreaker if the division came down to that.
The Yankees took two of three from the Red Sox in September to open enough distance to ensure that a wild-card series, if they faced each other, would be in The Bronx. Which it was — and the Yankees won in three games.
The Yankees took two of three from the Blue Jays in September and ultimately caught Toronto to finish tied with them at 94 wins. That tiebreaker did go to the Blue Jays, so the first two games of the division series that begins Saturday will be in Rogers Centre. But this does provide the Yankees the chance to settle all scores from June/July and within the AL East.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
