There's still a lot of work to be done before we can actually talk about this, so I'll try to be respectful here. The Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals 3-1 on Thursday night at Kauffman Stadium, removing the Kansas City Royals obstacle from themselves and the city and defeating the thoroughly businesslike 3-1 American team. The League Division Series is over.
So, with just four games left until their first World Series appearance since 2009, they'll be looking forward to Saturday's games against the Guardians and Tigers, playing for about 5 1/2 hours and hoping to use up both bullpens. .
They join the Mets in baseball's final four, who will enjoy the first day of a three-day weekend Thursday before beginning their quest to win the four games needed to qualify for the World Series for the first time since 2015. They will have a peaceful time. On Friday night, you'll cheer on the Padres and Dodgers until they tangle for about 18 innings, then find out whether you'll fly to LAX or head two hours south down Interstate 5.
Well, there's probably little point in starting thinking about the Subway Series now since neither the Yankees nor the Mets even know who their next opponent will be.
you know what?
Just start thinking.
Let's step away from our imagination for a moment. Four more wins for the Yankees, four more wins for the Mets, and think about what that means for our city and the baseball fans who make up this great baseball city. Let's remember what a great year 2000 was and how quickly the moment passed.
You have dreams about sports, right?
Let's start dreaming about small baseball as a prelude to big baseball.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, “Now we can play for the pennant.'' “And we're excited about that. I'm really proud of the way we played and we played really good baseball in a lot of close games in this series.”
The Yankees' on-field celebration Thursday was a little quieter than the Mets' one 24 hours earlier, and that's to be expected. They were in someone else's house. And they relied on their overall excellence far more than the Mets did on moment-to-moment emotion.
But the clubhouse celebration was just as sweet, with goggles for everyone, champagne for everyone, and fun bubble baths for everyone. And, as Aaron Judge pointed out, this scene of jubilation was as convincing as any flashpoint the Mets have had over the past few weeks.
“All I was thinking about was our season ended here in 2023,” Judge said. He started hitting the ball strong again Thursday night. As for which pitcher to figure out, he will likely be the usual choice. He will miss next week in either Cleveland or Detroit. “We didn't want something like that to happen again.”
Follow The Post's coverage of the Yankees in the postseason.
Indeed, 2023 is easy to forget because it was such a memorable year for the Yankees. The Yankees came to Kansas City having already been eliminated from the postseason. They won the middle of three straight games, securing their 82nd victory and a winning streak. This was the only consolation in a blank season. It was the Royals' 106th loss of the season. All games were played in front of friends and family.
For the past two nights, Kauffman Stadium has been filled with enthusiasm and hope for local residents. Because there was a chance for the Yankees to end the season here for the second consecutive year. Giancarlo Stanton made sure that didn't happen Wednesday, and Gerrit Cole did his part Thursday.
“What a series for the boys,” the judge said.
And what a wonderful time for this city. What will next week be like? It begins Sunday in California and will be held at either the Mets' Dodger Stadium or Petco Park, before returning to New York and returning to the Yankees' Yankee Stadium, with guests from the Midwest still to be determined. A week of traveling back and forth between the east and west coasts. Buy caffeine in bulk.
Ever since the Dodgers left Brooklyn and the Giants left Manhattan, we haven't had much of a New York, New York in the postseason. Only twice have the Mets and Yankees made it this far in the same season. In the bottom of the 11th inning in Atlanta, Kenny Rogers gave Andruw Jones a walk and that was it.
The next time, a year later, I pulled the One-Armed Thief on a baseball slot machine and the result was 7-7-7. There are 5 matches. He had Roger Clemens throw the bat to Mike Piazza. Derek Jeter led off with a home run in Game 4, Luis Sojo set up a parade with his 18th home run off Al Leiter, and Piazza tried to tie it in Game 5 with a single off Mariano Rivera. He was killed by Bernie Williams' glove. , and tears of joy from both Joe Torre and George Steinbrenner.
Somehow, that was 24 years ago.
It may be too early to book something, but it's never too early to dream. The Mets have a chance. The Yankees have a chance. There are opportunities in cities.
“It's definitely going to be a fun time in New York,” the judge said. “I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to play against them again in the future.”
Keep old tokens in a drawer. Get ready for Omni. Please have your Metrocard ready. you never know.
