Credit: Craig W. Lee / The New York Times
The New York Yankees and playoffs are nearly synonymous terms. The Yankees went on an incredible steak in which they made the playoffs every season from 1995-2007. And in that span won six pennants and four World Series titles. Not a bad stretch. All good things have to come to an end eventually. Well, kinda. Since 2007, the Yankees have made the playoffs four times and won the world series once, in 2009. Heading into the 2015 season the Yankees had been in a playoff drought — for them at least — failing to reach the playoffs in each of the past two seasons. They were able to snap this streak in 2015, but failed to win a game, falling to the Houston Astros in AL Wild Card Game.
The Yankees are not like any other organization. It is World Series or bust every single season. Does not matter the roster they have. The Yankees are expected to win. So, the fact that they have not won a single playoff game since the 2012 season cuts deep in the Yankees organization and their fanbase. A new season is quickly approaching — pitchers and catchers report within two weeks — and the Yankees are gearing up for another run at their 28th world championship. Expectations may seem tempered in the Bronx, but do not be fooled. They are expected to win. And Joe Girardi — whose job relies on the Yankees winning — probably understands that the best. This is certainly not the best roster the Yankees have ever built, but it certainly is not the worst either. Here are the five things that must go right for the Yankees to make the playoffs and make a run deep into the fall.
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