Yankees' Star Sends Clear Message About Chances in Postseason

New York Yankees fans can rest easy this weekend, as the Yankees' dominant 10-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday meant that they clinched not only the AL East but also the AL's No. 1 seed throughout the MLB playoffs.
Thursday's win was an offensive outburst from New York. Superstar slugger and AL MVP favorite Aaron Judge clobbered his 58th home run of the season (which means he has homered in five straight games), struggling left fielder Alex Verdugo added a solo home run, and Giancarlo Stanton went 2-4 with 4 RBIs, including a bases-clearing double and the 27th home run of his 2024 campaign.
Not to mention that Yankees' ace Gerrit Cole threw 6.2 scoreless innings, conceding just 2 hits while adding 5 strikeouts to his 2024 tally.
Seeing the Yankees celebrating their big victory in style after the game had to be a highlight for not only the team but for the fans. Given the massive expectations that the Yankees bring into every season, sometimes celebrating achievements like winning the AL East feels beneath this historic franchise. But New York has produced a fantastic season and deserves to celebrate this accomplishment — for tonight, at least.
But the job isn't done yet. While the roster knows this, they're also feeling confident about their chances in the postseason.
When Giancarlo Stanton was asked if he thought the Yankees are the "team to beat" in the playoffs, during the postgame festivities, he said, "We better be. That's the point," per SNY.
Giancarlo Stanton was asked if he thinks the Yankees are the "team to beat" in the playoffs:
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 27, 2024
"We better be. That's the point." pic.twitter.com/pS9Ybm1AVy
Stanton's answer is more than fair, considering that's what being the No. 1 seed means.
Now Yankees fans can spend this weekend's upcoming series against the Pittsburgh Pirates worrying more about Judge reaching 60 home runs and him and Soto achieving a historic home run milestone than the game's final score.
Then again, not worrying about wins and losses is against New York's nature.