It could mean the "world" ... as in "World Series" ... get it?

"But they need homefield throughout the playoffs to give themselves their best chance. They just do. They need to close that deal. It only might mean everything in the end, in an ALCS, then in a World Series."

If you didn't know who "they" was, would you be able to tell Lupica was talking about the Yankees?

Can you think of a baseball team ... or a team in any sport ... who wouldn't want homefield advantage?

In baseball, the home team bats second, which has lots of advantages in and of itself.

I could go on, but I wouldn't insult your intelligence like that.


"Start in their own league: As good as they are at home, the Astros are better. And please remember what happened the last time the two teams played in October: The Yankees won the middle three games of the American League Championship Series at the Stadium. The Astros won Games 1, 2, 6 and 7 at Minute Maid Park."

The Astros lost the middle three games of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium?

That's a .000 winning percentage.

Golly, it sounds like the Astros should fight for homefield advantage throughout the playoffs ... it gives them the best chance.


"You know how many of those games Justin Verlander pitched? Two. You know who will get two starts if the thing goes the distance again? Him. The best starting pitcher in the sport and one of the best of his generation."


What if Verlander is back home watching Cleveland vs. Oakland in the ALCS?


"What this really means is that the playoffs have started already for the Yankees. They need to treat the rest of the regular season like a pennant race out of the past, them against the Astros for best record, all the way down the stretch."



They're not going to go full throttle the next two weeks, that's for sure.

They will try to win every game, I suppose.

But they will also play September callups and rest the starting players ... even give Jordan Montgomery a start.


"Because the best record in the league really might mean everything this time. The Yankees need to grind the rest of the way the way the Mets have been grinding since the All-Star Break."

The Mets?

What do the Mets have to do with the ALCS? Why would the Yankees try to emulate the Mets?


Am I missing something? Were the Mets resting their A-Team in the first half of the season because they were resting  up for the playoffs?


"Incidentally: Winning the East guarantees the Yankees nothing in the first round. If they do end up with the best record, they have to play either the Rays or the Indians or the A’s, who swept the Yankees in Oakland the last time the two teams played. And please know that the Yankees were 3-4 against the A’s this season, 3-4 against the Astros, 3-4 against the Indians, 4-2 against the Twins. The best they have done against any possible playoff team is the Rays, against whom they are 12-5."

What the hell?

You mean to say the Yankees played various teams throughout the 2019 baseball season and won some of those games while also losing some of those games?

Well, I've never seen such profound baseball analysis in my entire life.

It must have come from Elias.


"Starting Tuesday, the schedule smiles on the Yankees: Three against the Angels, three against the Blue Jays, two against the Rays, finally three against the Texas Rangers. If they are going to win the 11 games in October that Reggie Jackson always talks about, they have to kill it in those 11 games."

Yeah.

I sure hope the Yankees "kill it" in October.

That would be awesome.


Now land the dismount, sport:

"Might make all the difference in the world as in, World Series."

Swish!


What we learned is that homefield advantage might make all the difference and winning the AL East guarantees nothing in the first round.

Just grind it out like the Mets and hope for the best.

Jacoby Ellsbury, Jimmy Connors, and Buck Showalter to us all.