Much was said about the New York Yankees and the way the front office, led by general manager Brian Cashman, went about its business at the trade deadline. Many believed the Bronx Bombers didn’t do enough to truly compete in the 2026 MLB Postseason, but that was proven wrong in the AL Wild Card against the Boston Red Sox—despite Aaron Judge’s absence. Amid the champagne celebration, starting pitcher Gerrit Cole voiced an honest assessment of the work done behind closed doors by the front office.
Although the true test will come when the Yankees play the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS next, the way the squad in The Bronx has been assembled clearly didn’t go unnoticed by Cole, who praised Cashman and the Yankees’ brass after the 2-0 series win over the Red Sox.
“You’ve got to go out and buy the tools. The roster looks really good at this point. We’re very competitive, and we have a lot of different ways that we can beat you. A lot of credit goes to a lot of people in this building,” Cole stated, via Chris Kirschner of The Athletic.
NY Yankees’ lineup depth proves decisive
It’s a new day in New York, more specifically in The Bronx. Indeed, the Yankees would love to have Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton back at the plate, but they have figured things out even without those two power bats.
Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
New York is no longer a home-run-dependent creature in the MLB Playoffs. The Yankees are now a depth monster, ready to drown out opponents with lengthy, grueling innings, especially when playing at home at Yankee Stadium.
Yankees’ perfect 6th inning in Game 2
It remains to be seen how this strategy stacks up against the AL East-winning Rays, but it wreaked havoc against the Red Sox. The bottom of the sixth inning in Game 2 was Aaron Boone’s team’s magnum opus so far in the postseason. The Yankees made the most of every single thing the Red Sox gave them.
A wild pitch? Spencer Jones would run his way to first. Another bad throw, and he stole two bases, setting up shop at third. From there on, the Yankees’ batters simply kept the base hits coming until it was Cody Bellinger’s turn at the plate.
The Red Sox picked their poison: They intentionally walked Ben Rice to first base. Bellinger needed just one changeup from Garrett Whitlock to decipher the code. On the second pitch, he went yard, calling game in the process as New York jumped to a game-sealing, series-ending 8-1 lead.
NY Yankees are for real in 2026 postseason
It was the perfect demonstration of how the entire lineup can come together to decide postseason games for the Pinstripers. If they could, the Yankees would hang it up on a wall at Yankee Stadium, but they don’t do that in The Bronx.
All they care about is winning the World Series, and this Yankees team, with a different recipe from years past, confirmed it can be a serious contender for the Commissioner’s Trophy in 2026. And that’s even without Judge.
Lastly, Brian Cashman, who’s been through the wringer and at the receiving end of fans’ criticism time and again, deserves credit. It’s still early for victory laps, but Cole’s shoutout to the front office’s work was well deserved.
Key takeaways
- Brian Cashman received praise from Gerrit Cole after New York eliminated Boston.
- The Yankees beat the Red Sox 2-0 in the AL Wild Card series.
- Cody Bellinger hit a game-sealing home run in the sixth inning of Game 2.
