There will be playoff baseball in the Bronx in 2024.
The New York Yankees became the first American League team to clinch a postseason berth Wednesday after beating the Seattle Mariners 2-1 at T-Mobile Park.
During the postgame celebration, Yankees captain Aaron Judge acknowledged that "the job's not finished" and made it clear that the division crown is still the goal.
Aaron Judge on returning to the Postseason: "We definitely know the job's not finished."#YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/pITsqxf5DM
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) September 19, 2024
New York scored the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th inning courtesy of Anthony Rizzo's RBI single. The Mariners had the tying and winning runs on base in the bottom half of the inning but blew the game when Julio Rodríguez wandered off third base and into a double play after dodging Randy Arozarena's bat.
Julio Rodriguez gets thrown out after he had to dodge a flying bat and then forgot to get back on base 😱 pic.twitter.com/LaEBP59Bzx
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 19, 2024
"I don't think I've seen that before," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said postgame, according to Bob Nightengale of The USA Today.
The Yankees have now reached the playoffs in seven of the last eight campaigns and in 25 of 30 seasons during baseball's wild-card era (since 1995). They failed to qualify in 2023 after going 82-80 and finishing fourth in the AL East.
The Yankees still have plenty to play for, even with a playoff berth wrapped up. They sit five games up on the Baltimore Orioles for the top spot in the AL East, and the two teams are set to play a three-game set at Yankee Stadium next week. Baltimore currently owns the tiebreaker, leading the season series 6-4.
New York is also attempting to secure a top-two seed in the AL, which would guarantee a place in the ALDS. The team has a seven-game lead on the Houston Astros and owns the tiebreaker to clinch a bye through the wild-card round.
