Saturday rainout helps Yankees stave off postseason elimination
The Yankees have almost no chance of making the playoffs, but they weren’t eliminated Saturday, because their game against the Diamondbacks was postponed due to inclement weather.
It is scheduled to be made up Monday at 1:05 p.m., after a scheduled game Sunday.
The Yankees could have been eliminated with a loss Friday, coupled with either a win by the Blue Jays or the Astros.
Instead, Aaron Judge hit three homers and now the Yankees’ season has been extended at least until Sunday.
Since the Yankees are 78-76 and both the Blue Jays and Astros can still finish with 76 losses, the Yankees still need to lose another game in order to be knocked out.
With more bad weather in the forecast for Sunday, it remains to be seen when their playoff hopes will officially end.
MLB moved the Diamondbacks’ scheduled game against the White Sox in Chicago from Monday to Thursday to allow for the makeup game at Yankee Stadium on Monday.
Fans with tickets to the postponed game may use them for the rescheduled game Monday or exchange them for tickets to a “similar” regular-season game next year at the Stadium, subject to availability, as described in the team’s rain check policy.
That continued a pattern for the 25-year-old, who has a 6.32 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 13 starts this season, compared to a 1.38 ERA and 0.83 WHIP in 10 relief appearances.
“Jhony’s a starter and he’s made a lot of starts and has that capability,’’ manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s done a good job in the [bullpen], especially going one time through the [batting] order.’’
With plenty of questions about both the rotation and the bullpen heading into 2024, the Yankees have yet to determine the best path for the right-hander.