NEW YORK – The Yankees’ clubhouse carried the familiar funky aroma that it did a year ago, bubbly and brew splashing the walls late Tuesday night as they gleefully toasted their return to the postseason. José Caballero proudly hoisted a jewel-encrusted championship belt, signifying the walk-off hit that punched the team’s ticket.
Aaron Judge grinned broadly amid a frenzied circle of teammates, who led a chant of “M-V-P!” as they doused the captain in cold spray. And Jazz Chisholm Jr. said what’s obvious to anyone who has watched this team over the last calendar year: It expects this celebration to be the first of several to come.
“We want to win the division. This isn’t it for us,” Chisholm said after the Yankees clinched their playoff spot with a 3-2 walk-off victory over the White Sox at Yankee Stadium. “This is only a small step. Step two is winning the division, and step three is winning the World Series.”
The American League East title is still out there for the taking, with the Yankees cutting the Blue Jays’ lead to one with five left to play (Toronto holds the head-to-head tiebreaker between the clubs). But for now, the Bombers have made their statement: They’ll be playing when it matters the most.
“That’s still our goal,” Judge said, his goggles fogged as music thumped in the background. “From the first day of Spring Training, it was to go out there and win our division. If we just take care of our job and do what we need to do this last week, I think we’ll be where we want to be.”
A Trade Deadline pickup who has added athleticism and versatility since coming over from the Rays, Caballero got to play hero after a gritty nine-pitch battle, one in which he said his internal monologue was: “I’ve got to get the job done.”
Connecting with a Steven Wilson sweeper, the resulting flare found turf in front of center fielder Michael A. Taylor, sending Judge charging home from second base to score the winning run.
“It’s amazing. It’s the best feeling I ever had,” Caballero said, clutching the belt like he intended to take it home. “I knew we were going to clinch the postseason, but I didn’t know it was going to be this way.”
The Yankees trailed by a run going to the ninth. Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells started the inning with singles off Brandon Eisert. After a double-play grounder, Judge was walked intentionally, and Cody Bellinger walked on a wild pitch that scored Volpe.
“I tell the guys all the time: The good guys always win in the end,” Judge said. “There’s going to be some good times and bad times throughout this drive, but in the end, we’re going to pull it out. I think the guys have that belief in each other.”
Wells had a second-inning RBI double for New York, backing right-hander Luis Gil, who blanked Chicago over the first five frames but surrendered Colson Montgomery’s two-run homer with one out in the sixth.
With the victory, the Yankees are back in the playoffs for their eighth time in nine seasons, fueled by a Major League-best 27-12 sprint since Aug. 11.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone acknowledged that it has been a “challenging year, no question about it.” But his hopes have been buoyed by the good health and mindset exhibited over the past several weeks by his club.
“I feel like our best baseball was absolutely ahead of us, and hopefully still is ahead of us,” Boone said. “I think we’re a really good club. Doesn’t guarantee anything, but I’ll certainly take our chances against anyone. … You never know what’s going to happen once we get there, but I feel like we’re walking in there as a confident team.”
It’s the Yanks’ 60th playoff appearance in franchise history, by far baseball’s most; the Dodgers are next closest, having recently secured their 39th.
“This is the beginning,” Caballero said. “We’re going for everything, man. We’re going for the trophy.”
Indeed, this entry carries the weight of unfinished business. Chisholm said “it still feels like yesterday” when they were watching Los Angeles celebrate a World Series win on the same field where they enveloped Caballero on Tuesday.
These Yanks are intent upon authoring a different ending. And now they’ll have a chance.
“All the guys in this room have a good mindset. They’re hungry,” Judge said. “We want to get back to where the Yankees are on top.”
