Should the Yankees Bail on Trying to Win the First Seed in the AL?

I’ve written before that the first seed in the AL would be nice if the Yankees make it to the AL Championship versus the Astros. The Yankees are 55-24 at home (45-31 away) and the Astros are 59-20 at home (42-33 away). Those are some significant home/away splits.

After last night’s game, the Yankees are 100-55 and the Astros are 101-53. The Yankees have 7 games left and the Astros have 8. Two of the Yankees games are against the Rays, the best team either will face for the rest of the season. If both teams end with the same record, the Astros will get home field advantage because they beat the Yankees 4 out of 7 games this year.

The reality is that the Yankees would have to make up three losses over their last seven games. During that time, the Astros will face all losing teams with 6 of their last 8 games against the Troutless Angels.

Not trying for the best record means that the Yankees can aggressively rest their regulars for the final seven games. Last night we had a scare when Gleyber Torres slipped on the field. A few nights previous, Aaron Judge dove for a ball and jammed his shoulder. This fragile Yankees team cannot sustain any more injuries if they hope to proceed with victories throughout October. IN addition, these players have given their all, all season long.

At this point, if I were Aaron Boone, I’d bail on trying to get the best record in the AL. I don’t think that it’s likely that the Yankees can close the gap and I’d rather go into the playoffs with a well rested team.