Yankees manager Aaron Boone takes swings at Fenway Park
Yankees manager Aaron Boone stepped into the cage at Fenway Park to take a few batting practice swings before the Sept. 13, 2025 game against the Red Sox.
NEW YORK – By early July, the Yankees had lost their AL East lead, and by early August they had lost their way entirely.
But a late-season surge strengthened the Yanks’ wild card standing, and on Tuesday night they punched their ticket to the playoffs.
Down 2-1 to the Chicago White Sox heading into the ninth inning, the Yankees put together the rally they needed. After Anthony Volpe scored from third base on a wild pitch from pitcher Brandon Eisert, Jose Caballero played hero with a walk-off single to score Aaron Judge from second.
Down the stretch, the Yankees compiled MLB’s best record since Aug. 6, going 29-14 and putting pressure on the Toronto Blue Jays, who were coasting in first place.
Toronto holds the tiebreaker over the Yankees, based on their 2025 head-to-head record.
But the Yankees still have an outside chance to win the division.
Entering Tuesday, if the Blue Jays played .500 (3-3) in their final six games, the Yankees needed to win all their remaining six games to repeat as AL East champs.
This is the seventh time the Yankees have reached postseason in manager Aaron Boone’s eight-year tenure, winning the pennant in 2024 but still seeking the franchise’s first world title since 2009.
If the Yankees maintain their top AL wild card standing, they will host a best-of-three series against the second AL wild card starting next Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.
If the Yankees were to win the division, they’d open the postseason in a best-of-five AL Division Series beginning Oct. 4.