‘Crazy, Wild, Tough Year’ Continues as Yankees Clinch Wild Card
The New York Times
On a day that looked like a recipe for chaos, the Yankees and the Red Sox made things simple by winning. They will face each other in Boston with a division series trip on the line.
The Yankees chased Aaron Judge into the outfield early Sunday night, swarming him in a bouncy, gleeful embrace. Now they will follow Judge to the playoffs.
Judge is the Yankees’ cornerstone, the slugger who has led them for half a decade as they’ve tried to return to the World Series. This season was more trying than most, with alternating lengthy stretches of captivating and confounding play. But Judge assured it would continue by topping a tense day at Yankee Stadium with a game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 1-0.
“It’s been a crazy, wild, tough year,” Manager Aaron Boone said. “Fitting that it would come down to the last day to get in. But I love our group, I love our guys, I love our compete. It hasn’t always been pretty, but we’re ready to take our shot. We know we can beat anyone when we’re at our best.”
