When a division or wild card race comes down to the last few games of the season, its important to reflect back on the season that was and remember exactly which team in their infinite futility put you there. Not only that, but for reasons unknown, you beat up on our rival teams to help lock down the October berth, and for that, your accomplishments should be recognized
Oakland and Minnesota have obviously inspired this analysis, as the Yankees are 26-5 against Oakland since 2008 and the Yankees are 63-20 against the Twins in the Gardenhire era.
Biggest Thank Yous of the last 5 years:
2009 Boston - Baltimore: While the Yankees trounced the league on the way to the World Series, finishing with at least a .500 record against every team in baseball, it was Boston who were able to cruise to an 8 game lead in the wild card over Texas before losing to the Angels in 3. How did they manage this lead? Try a 16-2 record against the hapless Orioles, who played Texas to the tune of 5-5. That's an +8.5 game swing, and 1 free playoff berth.
2010 Yankees - Oakland/Baltimore: Technically this shouldn't count, as this involved two teams, but the Yankees should thank Oakland and Baltimore. While the wild card race was a snoozer down the stretch and the Yankees finishing 6 games up in the WC race over Boston, the Yankees can thank this lead to having a 22-6 record over Oak-imore while the BoSox were 13-14. +8.5 game swing.
2008 Milwaukee - Pitts: This is a tough one as the Mets did also play well against the Pirates, but sometimes the divisions aren't lined up right. In '08, the Brewers were not just carried by C.C down the stretch, but they also pummeled the Pirates to the tune of 14-1 on the season, matched by 4-3 for the Mets. +7 game swing in the wild card. Brewers win WC by 1 game.
2007 Yankees - Cleveland: While this thank-you was quickly rescinded, as the Yankees would lose to the Tribe in the first round of the playoffs, and then the Tribe would 1-up themselves by blowing a 3-1 lead against Boston in the ALCS, the regular season was a very different story. The Yankees, making the playoffs as the Wild Card, finished with a 6 game lead over the Detroit Tigers. The difference? Yanks go 6-0 against Cleveland while Detroit goes 6-12. +6 game swing, with a staggering +12 in the loss column.
2008 Boston - Texas: Yankees were on the wrong end of this match up in 2008. Boston finished 6 games ahead of the Yankees in the Wild Card with the help of the Texas Rangers. Boston finished 9-1 against the Rangers, while the Yanks managed to finish 3-4, a +5.5 game swing. Didn't change the outcome, although who's to say how that season ends if its close (Yankees lost the last game of the season in the 10th inning on a start from Sidney Ponson and Jose Veras on the mound, probably not your lineup when the playoffs are on the line)
2010 Cincinnati - Cubs/Brewers/Astros: Oddly enough, Cincinnati finished 5 games up in the division despite going 6-12 against the 2nd place Cardinals. How did they manage this? Cincy combined for a 33-10 record against their non-Pirate division rivals, while the Cards went 18-27 against the same 3 teams. a colossal +16 game swing.
An added note to this analysis, none of the aforementioned teams won the pennant, and went 13-21 in the playoffs. But this proves something we already know: In October, it doesn't matter how many times you can beat the Orioles.
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