When they started spring training in February and again when they reconvened for summer camp in July, there's no way the New York Yankees could have imagined where they would have celebrated clinching their playoff berth.
They might have guessed numerous clubhouses in a whole list of stadiums around Major League Baseball. A downtown Buffalo hotel lobby would not have made the list.
But that's exactly where the Yankees found themselves Sunday night. They lost in Boston, got on their flight, got the help they needed when Seattle lost to San Diego in an 11-inning affair and manager Aaron Boone gathered them when they arrived here.
"We didn't win so you don't have the normal run out on the field in that situation," Boone said before Monday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Sahlen Field. "But it was nice at least to address the team and be together when we got into Buffalo."
People are also reading…
"We had a glass of champagne together in the lobby, just celebrated the accomplishments and acknowledged there was more work to do," said pitcher Gerrit Cole, who will start here for the Yankees on Tuesday.
Life in 2020 has mandated a lot of changes and there will be no wild parties this year, with Major League Baseball reminding teams about social distancing.
"Not as much fun as doing it in the locker room and doing the normal postseason trying to burn each other's eyes," said infielder DJ LeMahieu. "It's still a big accomplishment and we all realize that. 'Boonie' just kind of congratulated us and said there's more work to be done."
"Even without Covid protocols I think it might have ended up the same way," Cole said. "The West Coast game picked up late and we weren't going to hang around, especially on a getaway day and delay the travel so I think the hotel lobby was inevitable. It's fun, obviously not as fun as getting to spray the champagne over everybody.
"But anytime you can get the team together and acknowledge everybody in the room and the hard work that's put in regardless of if you're spraying champagne or 'cheers-ing' everybody in the room with masks on, it's nice. We'll take it and we'll get back to work."
LeMahieu named Player of the Week
LeMahieu was named American League Player of the Week on Monday after putting together a robust slashline of .423/.516/1.038 with nine runs, 11 hits, four doubles, four HRs, 10 RBI and five walks. He homered in all three games vs. the Blue Jays last week in the Bronx.
LeMahieu entered Monday batting .361 and leads Chicago's Tim Anderson by one point in the AL batting race. They finished 1-2 last year as well, with Anderson winning it, .335-.327. LeMahieu is attempting to become the Yankees’ first batting champion since Bernie Williams in 1998.
"Honestly I view it more as a distraction," he said. "You're kind of worrying about some people in a game that's not even where we're playing. If I get caught up in that or anyone gets caught up in that it usually ends up going backwards."
Cole on the mound
Cole (6-3, 3.00) makes his final start of the regular season Tuesday night at 6:37 against Toronto's Tanner Roark. Cole started in Buffalo as a Pirates farmhand with Indianapolis on May 25, 2013. He gave up two runs on three hits over six innings but was a hard-luck loser to the Bisons in a 2-1 game.
"For the most part, most of us have come up through this stadium," Cole said. "As long as the wind isn't howling one direction of the other without the stadium being able to funnel it or block it, I think it will play pretty much the same. the surface is really nice here. They've done an excellent job."
