When the New York Yankees trudged off the field at Houston’s Minute Maid Mark last October, still reeling from the shock of José Altuve’s pennant-clinching home run, they faced a disquieting reality. For the first time in more than a century, the most successful franchise in American sports history had gone an entire calendar decade without a single trip to the World Series. But with this pandemic-shortened season now less than three weeks from the finish line, the Yankees suddenly find themselves in an unimaginable position. They are in danger of missing the playoffs altogether—in a year when more than half the teams make the playoffs. The fate of the Yankees’ 2020 season could rest on the outcome of a shockingly crucial four-game series against the Baltimore Orioles, which begins Thursday night in the Bronx.

Source: Wall Street Journal September 10, 2020 15:23 UTC