Four rivals, 13 days: Five things we learned from Yankees' epic September stretch

With his New York Yankees successful the heavy of a 12-game gauntlet against 4 American League playoff contenders, manager Aaron Boone divulged his slumber strategy to negociate the stress.

"Melatonin makes definite it doesn't support maine up," Boone said past week.

That 13-day agelong concluded Sunday with a nonaccomplishment to the Boston Red Sox. But the Yankees departed Fenway Park for Minnesota with a bid victory, having taken the archetypal 2 games against their rivals and feeling satisfied with their caller results.

The Yankees went 7-5 against the 4 apt playoff-bound clubs -- the Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers and Red Sox -- to solidify their clasp connected the apical AL wild-card spot.

Barring an epic collapse, the adjacent clip the Yankees look a playoff-caliber squad volition beryllium successful the playoffs. New York has the easiest remaining docket successful the majors.

Starting with their 7-0 blowout nonaccomplishment to the Minnesota Twins connected Monday, the Yankees' last 13 games are against teams with losing records: 3 against the Twins, 3 against the Chicago White Sox, and 7 against the Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees are 38-23 against teams nether .500 this season.

Boone, theoretically, should slumber casual -- which seemingly hasn't been an contented for his 2nd baseman.

"We're the champion squad successful the league," Jazz Chisholm Jr. said aft the Yankees' triumph implicit the Red Sox connected Saturday. "I consciousness similar immoderate squad that thinks they're amended than us, they should cognize that erstwhile we measurement connected the tract that we're coming with relentlessness and we're coming to measurement connected necks. We're not present to play around. We're going to bash the occupation and get the occupation done."

The Yankees should person the accidental successful October to beryllium they are so the champion successful the AL for the 2nd consecutive year. What stood retired during their dozen-game postseason litmus test? Here are 5 things we learned.

1. A hazard worthy taking? Aaron Judge is "walking that tightrope" successful close field.

Yankees wide manager Brian Cashman confirmed the evident earlier the bid opener against the Red Sox: If the Yankees weren't successful the mediate of a playoff race, Aaron Judge would've spent much clip rehabbing the flexor strain successful his close arm.

"Obviously, we gave him the clip to heal," Cashman said Friday, referring to Judge spending 10 days connected the injured list. "And past now, obviously, you're doing the rehab progressions fundamentally unrecorded successful games during a pennant race. So you're seeing the effects of that. You're seeing a feline that's dilatory gathering his limb spot backmost and learning to spot it and past walking that tightrope of erstwhile to propulsion the thunderbolt and erstwhile to play it harmless arsenic helium builds connected his progressions."

Judge returned to the outfield connected Monday successful Minnesota, starting successful close tract aft serving arsenic the Yankees' designated hitter successful their 3 games successful Boston. In all, Judge has started 5 games successful the outfield since Sept. 5 and hasn't thrown a shot harder than 81 mph -- a telling stat for idiosyncratic who has a 100.5 mph assistance connected his résumé.

Knowing teams volition trial him, the Yankees...