Seattle’s on a pace that could break the single-season victory record and Oakland has been the hottest team in baseball since the All-Star break.
But lurking on the horizon are the defending champion New York Yankees, who may find themselves in a most unfamiliar role once October rolls around.
Not only will the Yankees be underdogs in the American League playoffs for the first time in years, they’re likely to become sentimental favorites as well after the terrorist attacks of last week.
The White Sox managed to slow New York’s momentum temporarily Thursday, edging the Yankees 7-5 at Comiskey Park to snap their six-game winning streak.
Josh Paul’s two-run, bases-loaded double in the sixth broke a 4-4 tie and Keith Foulke threw 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to save the victory for Sean Lowe (8-4).
Making his first start since Aug. 7, Kip Wells got off to an auspicious start by drilling Bernie Williams in the helmet in the first inning.
Yankees manager Joe Torre said Williams was “traumatized” and taken out for precautionary reasons. He expects Williams to play Friday.
Andy Pettitte (15-10) subsequently plunked Magglio Ordonez with a pitch in the bottom of the first, prompting a warning for both teams from plate umpire Ted Barrett. Ordonez later answered back with a two-run homer off Pettitte in the fifth, tying the game 4-4.
The Yankees’ magic number to clinch the East remains at five, meaning they could clinch it this weekend during a three-game series in Baltimore. If not, then Roger Clemens could take his 20-1 record to the mound for a possible clincher next Tuesday in Yankee Stadium when the Yankees return to the Bronx for the first time since the World Trade Center disaster.
But no matter where they win it, there will be no resemblance to any Yankees clinching party of the past.
“I expect it’s going to be somewhat subdued,” Torre said. “To what degree, I don’t know. I think if I asked [the players] they’d probably feel the same way. There is cause to congratulate ourselves on the accomplishment, but there’s also the understanding of the reality of the situation.”
Barring a dramatic turnaround in the remaining 15 games, the Yankees should finish with a better record than Cleveland, pitting them against Oakland in a first-round playoff rematch.
Even if Oakland finishes with a better record, the Yankees would retain home-field advantage because the A’s are the wild-card entry. While Oakland ranks second to Seattle in American League pitching, the Yankees will be able to start Clemens, Mike Mussina, Pettitte and, if needed, Orlando Hernandez. In the 11 games before Thursday, Yankees starters were 9-1 with a 2.69 earned-run average.
The Yankees know they’re playing for more than just the game itself. A trip to lower Manhattan last weekend to lend support to families of victims of the tragedy has only reinforced that fact in the players’ minds. But just how much can one baseball team do?
“People enjoy watching us play,” shortstop Derek Jeter said. “When we went down to the Javits Center and to the Armory and to the hospital, seeing people who were directly affected by what’s happened–losing family members–and they’re telling us how they’re looking forward to us playing and hoping we win for them. It helps out people. You can’t say it’s going to help out everyone, but if you give a few people something to cheer for, it’s a good thing.”
