Yankees Nose Their Way To Win AL East Division Title
By Cole Hoyt, Contributing Writer and loyal Yankees fan
We can hold our breaths. After this nail-biting season, the New York Yankees are into the playoffs with home field advantage. Down the home stretch, the 
Yankees went 19-8 and held off the Baltimore Orioles who finished second in the American League East. The Bombers did what they do best down the stretch. They hit 42 long balls in the last 27 games. When you couple that with dominate starting pitching, a great bullpen and Rafael Soriano as the closer, it is easy to see how the Yankees finished the season so strong. The Yankees have felt like they have been playing in post-season mode for a while now, always looking over their shoulder at the Orioles who evaporated the 10 game hole they were in. The Pinstripes finished the regular season on a four game winning streak. To many, this is one of the most crucial accomplishments of the season. Having the ability to stay hot is a lot easier than heating up when the pressure is on. The Yankees last year went 2 for 5 in their last seven games and were quickly kicked out of the post-season by the Detroit Tigers. The good news is that this season is different. With the Yankees on fire, it is going to take something remarkable to cool them off.
In Las Vegas, the New York Yankees and the Washington Nationals are co-favorites to win the World Series with 5-1 odds. The Yankees will take on either the Baltimore Orioles or the Texas Rangers on Sunday, October 7th, depending upon who wins the American League Wild-Card Game. Not only are the Yankees fans rooting for the Bombers in the post-season but so are the television executives. The New York Yankees have the best TV ratings out of all the teams in the playoffs this season. The Yankees have home field advantage and plan to act on it.
The Captain, Derek Jeter hopes to continue what manager Joe Girardi, called the greatest season, “For me, it’s one of the greatest seasons I’ve ever seen considering all the factors.”
Jeter finished the regular season with a .316 batting average, 32 doubles, 15 round trippers, and 216 hits, which was the most in the majors.
Another positive sign for the Yankees faithful is starting third baseman, Alex Rodriguez, told reporters, “I know how to get it done. Don’t worry about me. I’m going to be fine.” With A-Rod ready it goes without saying that the rest of the team is ready to bring another ring back to the Big Apple. The Yankees finally have everything going right this season, when they need it most. With one of the hottest hitters in the game, Jeter, a dominant starting pitching staff in Hiroki Kuroda and CC Sabathia, the Yankees have what it takes to bring another trophy back to New York. All the pieces are in place, the Yankees just need to do what they do best, win.
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