Aaron Boone can keep talking about how the Yankees were a tie game in the eighth inning of Game 5 of the ALDS from beating the American League-winning Rays, but the difference between the two teams was much greater than that. The Yankees weren't going to score a second run in that game if it went 10 innings or 100 innings. The Yankees might be in a championship window, but when you look at the roster construction of the Rays or Astros, the Yankees don't appear to be close to even winning the AL pennant.

I didn't expect the Yankees to win Game 4. But if they were to win Game 4, I expected them to win Game 5 with Gerrit Cole on the mound. Well, they won Game 4, and now I expect them to win Game 5 and advance to the ALCS.

The Rays have exposed the Yankees over the last two nights with some help from the home plate umpires. Now the Yankees will give the ball to the worst of their starting pitching options to try to save the season and force a Game 5. The Yankees will be expected to win Game 5 with Gerrit Cole on the mound, but can they even get there?

The Yankees are in big trouble. They relinquished their ALDS lead with the worst possible first-guessed pitching decision and now they desperately need to win Game 3 or their season will likely end this week.

Gerrit Cole didn’t pitch like any Yankees fan expected him to pitch in Game 1 of the ALDS, but he pitched the way he has against the Rays all season. Thankfully, the Yankees’ offense showed up for the third straight game to open the postseason and made sure Cole’s off night didn’t cost the Yankees a win in the best-of-5.

The Yankees have a chance to avenge their disappointing 2-8 record against the Rays from the regular season by beating them in the ALDS. In order to do so, the Yankees’ offense will have to put up runs to keep the bullpen from blowing games and to keep Aaron Boone from managing the Yankees to a series loss.

The Yankees are very luck they aren’t playing an elimination Game 3 against the Indians with J.A. Happ on the mound on Thursday night. Aaron Boone did everything he could to manage his team to a loss in Game 2 on Wednesday, but the Yankees’ offense wouldn’t let his ineptitude overpower their ability. The Yankees will now play the Rays in the ALDS with a chance to avenge the regular-season disappointment against their biggest rival.

The Yankees' offense took Shane Bieber out of Game 1 and Gerrit Cole took the Indians' offense out of Game 1. Most importantly, the Yankees' offense and Cole took Aaron Boone out of Game 1 in what was an easy 12-3 win in the best-of-3.

The Yankees keep talking about how they are trying to win home-field advantage for the best-of-3 series, but they’re clearly not trying their hardest. If they were, why was Michael King starting or opening on Monday night against the Blue Jays? It was a perfect opportunity to give Clarke Schmidt his first major league start, and instead, the Yankees went with the guy who has pitched a combined 14 innings over four starts/opens this season with an 8.36 ERA.

The Yankees are going to the postseason. It's something we have known since Opening Day when it was announced the postseason field would be expanded to eight teams. Now it's official and the Yankees can use the last seven games of the regular season to get ready for October.