The New York Yankees are in the Major League Baseball playoffs this season as the No. 2 seed in the American League after a dominant performance during the regular season, particularly early in the season. However, the Yankees don’t yet know their opponent as they’ll face the winner of the Wild Card round between the Cleveland Guardians and the Tampa Bay Rays.
As the Yankees await the start of their playoff run, they’ll naturally be prepared to face both potential matchups. But manager Aaron Boone says he hopes both the Guardians and the Rays “beat up each other” before his team has to face either of them.
“Tampa [Bay] we know really well, and they know us well,” Aaron Boone said after Wednesday’s regular-season finale at Texas, according to the New York Post. “Cleveland has been one of the really good stories, with their young roster coming of age. They dominated the Central down the stretch. They pitch well, have an elite closer, good starting pitching, they’re adept at putting the ball in play and athletic. Hope those teams beat up each other a little bit.”
The Yankees finished with a winning record against both the Guardians and the Rays this season, going 5-1 against Cleveland and 11-8 against Tampa Bay.