For the Yankees, the moment is now

Yesterday at 08:30 AM

This is the best chance the Yankees have had in years, it's World Series or bust.

Nine years ago yesterday, a younger, more innocent version of myself posted on this site for the very first time. I had joined Pinstripe Alley as the Yankees were gearing up for a postseason appearance after a two-year hiatus. I posed the question then, "is it fair for Yankees fans to have a 'World Series or bust' mentality?" Coming off of the ride that was 2013 and misery that was 2014, I was just happy to have some meaningful October baseball to watch.

Obviously, the fun was cut short by the Astros, well before they were among the most-hated franchises in the league. But I argued at the time, that it was okay to simply sit back and enjoy the ride. They missed the playoffs the following year, but in 2017 the new-Yankees had arrived early and made a shocking run to the ALCS, where they were once-again sent home by those damn Astros. Not a recurring theme just yet, but definitely a coincidence.

Even then it was okay to just enjoy the ride because it wasn't expected and they were almost a Cinderella story, making it further than they had any business being. Yes, I know the Astros cheated then, but I can't simply blame them for robbing the Yankees of a chance of breaking their World Series "drought" because them cheating had nothing to do with the fact that the Yankees only scored one run in the final two games of that series. Plate some runs and then we can whine about cheating. If you don't show up, then it's just a tired excuse to fall back on.

But the Aaron Judge era of the Yankees had begun. They made the playoffs every year from then until 2023, only to be embarrassed and sent home time and time again from some of their most-hated rivals. Embarrassment peaked in 2022 when the Astros not only swept the Yankees in the ALCS, but prior to Game 4, Aaron Boone tried rallying his troops by showing them highlights of the 2004 ALCS. I'd like to forget this happened too, but I'm mentally preparing to be furious at these Yankees, and I need you all with me.

Now in 2024, though, I'm tired of just enjoying the ride. It's simply not enough anymore to be content with a fun ride, they need to see this thing through. Maybe that means a 28th championship, maybe it doesn't, but it does most certainly mean a trip to the Fall Classic. Anything less at this point is an utter failure, and there's no sugarcoating it.

The Yankees have the best opportunity they've had in a long time to finally put away those demons and overcome the woes that have plagued* this franchise for years now. This isn't the best team they've assembled in years, but the good news is that none of the other teams assembled are the best versions of themselves either. Every single playoff team right now has its own flaws, and that's even more true in the American League.

The Yankees are one of four teams left standing in the American League. The other three teams are from the AL Central. I'm sorry to the Tigers, Royals, and Guardians fans, but if three teams from that division made the playoffs and are still standing, then the field wasn't that competitive to begin with. This is a division that annually sends a champion to essentially get a participation trophy for the team that beats up on the rest of that division the most and the ones that don't make it just limp along and exist. The Yankees also went 13-6 against the Royals, Tigers, and Guardians this year. Sure, regular season success doesn't always translate to playoff success, but...

This isn't meant to take away from the amazing season Bobby Witt Jr. has had or the fantastic run the Tigers put up in the second half to even make the playoffs, but if the Yankees can't get past the Royals and then whoever wins the other ALDS, they have to be ashamed. The Yankees aren't without their weaknesses either. They also saw a dreadful stretch of play in the middle of summer which would have lost them the division if it wasn't for Baltimore's self-destruction.

But still, they have Gerrit Cole, Juan Soto, and Aaron Judge. One of the best pitchers on the planet and two MVP candidates should be good enough to let you compete with the best. But when the competition is this flawed, this really shouldn't even be close. Especially when the MVP favorite is improving upon what was already one of the best hitting seasons in the history of the league and is "putting up video game numbers."

Yankees fans are notoriously spoiled, so it's hard for us to say "woe is me," but this is the year to throw all of that out the window. Expectations for this team better be sky high, winning the pennant this season is the bare minimum. To make the road even clearer for the Yankees, they won't even have to face their demons in Houston this year, that was the only obstacle I was worried about. But thanks to AJ Hinch (what?) and the Tigers, the Astros can't get in the Yankees' way this year.

Sure there's the always the "playoffs are a crapshoot" excuse and all that, but if they can't figure out a way to be the last AL team standing, that's all it is: an excuse. And make no bones about it, there's absolutely no excuse that would satisfy not punching their World Series ticket for the 41st time. The Yankees have been gifted an opportunity this year, they better seize it. It's right in front of them.