From August 14 to August 27, the New York Yankees won 13 straight games and were at the top of the world. No one expected them to keep winning forever, but what came after that was embarrassing: the team lost four consecutive contests, won two, and then dropped its last seven.
A few weeks ago, the Yankees comfortably controlled their own destiny. After Friday’s forgettable loss against the Mets, they are barely holding on to the second Wild Card spot, only half a game ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays and one game ahead of the two AL West hopefuls, the Oakland Athletics and the Seattle Mariners.