Sonny Gray allowed just one run and the Yankees homered twice en route to a 5-1 win over the Blue Jays to clinch a playoff spot.  >> Box score

If the Yankees were to win their 28th championship this season, at least one player would not make a trip to the White House. 

Pitcher CC Sabathia told the New York Daily News that he would not partake in any such visit because of his disagreements with President Donald Trump. 

"Never. ... I just don't believe in anything that is Trump," Sabathia said Saturday afternoon. So there wouldn't be any reason for me to go at all." 

The Yankees (85-68) play the second game of a three-game set against the Toronto Blue Jays (72-82) on Saturday at 4:07 p.m. at Rogers Centre.

Yankees starter RHP Masahiro Tanaka had an uncharacteristic start as the Blue Jays tacked on eight to win the first game of the three-game series, 8-1, in Toronto.  >> Box score

With the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the third, Teoscar Hernandez broke it with a solo homer to left center to take the lead. The next inning, former Yankee Russell Martin stretched the lead with a two-run shot to left. 

The final blow was in the bottom of the sixth, when the No. 9 hitter Ryan Goins launched a grand slam to right center field that ended, not only Tanaka's night, but the Yankees hopes to victory...

The Yankees (85-67) begin their final road trip with a three-game set against the Toronto Blue Jays (71-82) on Friday at 7:07 p.m. at Rogers Centre.

Chris Carelli, SNY.TV Facebook | Twitter | About Me | Archives

Our weekly minor league report canvases the Yankees' farm system providing updates about the status of the teams in action and the organization's top prospects. This week we will briefly cover the playoff results at each level. We will also examine seasonal results and outlooks for 2018 with the club's Nos. 5 through 1 prospects.

Triple-A - International League North Division - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

Record: 86-55, 1st place, 6.5 GA

After winning the International League North Division regular season title and the division series, the RailRiders lost to the Durham Bulls in the International League finals 3-1 in the best-of-five series. The Bulls went on to beat the Pacific Coast League champion Memphis Redbirds 5-3 in the Triple-A championship game.

Yankees LHP CC Sabathia, who entered rehab for alcoholism two years ago, told NJ.com's Brendan Kuty he would not miss the team's celebration, which would likely include alcohol, that would occur if the team clinches a playoff berth.

"I'll be fine," said Sabathia, who left the team in October 2015 before the Yankees' wild-card game against the Houston Astros to check himself into rehabilitation.

Sabathia wrote in The Players' Tribune in March 2016 that while the team was headed into the playoffs at the time, he needed to do what was best for him.

"Of course, the timing wasn't the best for the Yankees and the fans," Sabathia wrote, "but that wasn't my main concern. When I decided to get help, I wasn't scared anymore of what people would think of me. I was scared of drinking again. So many of the major choices in my life, going back to when I was just a kid, have been baseball decisions. But this was a life decision."

Several Yankees players said the team should expand the protective netting in the wake of a two-year-old girl who was sitting down the third base line being struck in the face by a foul ball off the bat of Todd Frazier on Wednesday.

The girl remained hospitalized on Thursday, according to the NY Post. The girl remained hospitalized on Thursday, according to the NY Post. Frazier reached out to the father of the girl who said "She's doing ok," per Newsday's Erik Boland. 

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said the league would "redouble" its efforts when it comes to extra netting.

 Chris Carelli, SNY.TV Facebook | Twitter | About Me | Archives: By sweeping the Twins, the Yankees pushed their lead for the American League's first wild card spot to seven games. If the season were to end today, the clubs would meet up in the AL Wild Card game at Yankee Stadium. What did the series tell us about the potential wild card matchup?

Potential pitching matchup

The Yankees saw the Twins' best pitcher and the Twins saw the Yankees' ace. It is presumed that the clubs would try their best to arrange these pitchers to be their starters in a potential wild card game. The Yankees were able to put pressure on Ervin Santana, but couldn't find the big hit in a game, scoring just two runs off the veteran.

Former Yankees outfielder Raul Mondesi has been sentenced to eight years in prison in the Dominican Republic on charges of corruption, according to multiple reports. 

Mondesi, who served as the mayor of San Cristobal in his native country, was also fined 60 million pesos for the charges. The Dominican Today reports that an audit of Mondesi discovered the corruption issues.

The Yankees were shaken after a foul ball off the bat of Todd Frazier in the bottom of the fifth inning on Wednesday hit a young girl in the face. The girl was sitting in the stands on the third base side.

The game was stopped as the young fan was taken out on a stretcher.

"The child who was struck with a batted ball today was given first aid at the ballpark and is receiving medical attention at an area hospital," the Yankees said in a statement, explaining they couldn't release any additional information due to HIPAA.

Aaron Judge hit his American League-leading 45th home run of the season as the Yankees erased an early 3-0 deficit and blew out the Twins, 11-3, on Wednesday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. >> Box score

Trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the third inning, Judge hit a two-run homer down the line in right field and Gary Sanchez followed with a solo homer to center as the Yankees tied things, 3-3.

The Yankees plated six runs in the bottom of thefourth, with Greg Bird's run-scoring double, RBI hits from Brett Gardner and Sanchez, and a three-run homer by Didi Gregorius accounting for the damage...

The Yankees (84-67) play the final contest of a three-game set against the Minnesota Twins (78-73) on Wednesday at 1:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.

CC Sabathia limited the Twins to two runs in six innings, Brett Gardner had three hits and two RBIs, and the Yankees won the second game of a three-game set at Yankee Stadium. >> Box score

The Yankees have again reshuffled the rotation as they make a final push towards improving their position in the postseason.

RHP Luis Severino, slated to start on Friday, will instead pitch on short rest on Wednesday against the Blue Jays. RHP Masahiro Tanaka was originally scheduled to start on Wednesday for New York.

The Yankees (83-67) play the second game of a three-game set against the Minnesota Twins (78-72) on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.

With Marlins OF Giancarlo Stanton in range to eclipse Yankees great Roger Maris' 61 home runs in 1961, Roger Maris Jr. is watching intently. 

Maris' record has been broken before with Barry Bonds belting 73 homers in 2001, and Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa each breaking it three times in their career. However, all three players were on steroids, and in Maris Jr.'s mind, it doesn't count. 

If Stanton breaks his father's record, it will be the real deal which is why he is following the Marlins' slugger as the season comes to a close...

Yankees starter RHP Masahiro Tanaka wouldn't mind being passed up for Luis Severino if the team makes the Wild Card round. 

Severino has been the clear ace of the Yankees this season, but Tanaka has looked much better and has experience pitching in the 2015 Wild Card game against the Astros. But Tanaka doesn't mind if Severino is chosen to start in the potential game because he believes he has earned it. 

"I wouldn't be disappointed. It's not something that's been decided yet," Tanaka told The Daily News through a translator. "But if Sevy were to pitch the wild-card game, I don't think anybody would have anything against that, just considering how he's pitched. And considering that it's a do-or-die game, you always want to get the best pitcher out there that can givev the team the best chance to win. No one would be against if Sevy goes out there pitching in that game."

Aaron Judge hit his American League-leading 44th home run of the season while Todd Frazier hit a go-ahead sac fly in the sixth inning as the New York Yankees beat the Minnesota Twins 2-1 on Monday at Yankee Stadium. >> Box score

Frazier broke a 1-1 tie by hitting a bases-loaded sac fly with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning after Ervin Santana intentionally walked Jacoby Ellsbury as the Yankees expanded their wild-card lead to five games.

David Robertson (9-2) and the rest of the Yankees bullpen combined to throw 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief after Jaime Garcia pitched into the sixth inning. Aroldis Chapman pitched out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the eighth inning and followed that with a 1-2-3 ninth for his 19th save of the season.

The Yankees (82-67) begin a three-game set against the Minnesota Twins (78-71) on Monday at 7:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.

Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez hit the Statcast home runs, but Didi Gregorius is the pulse of the New York Yankees.

It is amazing to think how far Gregorius has come since taking over for Yankees icon Derek Jeter at shortstop. He had yet to play a full MLB season when he arrived in New York, and there was a good deal of talk about Gregorius' inability to hit left-handed pitching. After his first month in the Bronx, the concerns that he could be a long-term solution grew.

Gregorius slowly silenced critics after the 2015 season's opening month, and turned them into avid supporters in 2016. This season, despite missing 24 games, Gregorius is snapping or within reach of personal bests in multiple offensive categories. He has produced FanGraphs WAR values of 3.1, 2.6 and 3.9 (and counting) since 2015.

Gregorius, who turns 28 just before next season, has two years left of arbitration before reaching free agency, which begs the question. Should the Yankees try to sign Gregorius to a long-term deal this offseason?

Sonny Gray allowed five runs and the Yankees were unable to overcome an early deficit in a 6-4 loss to the Orioles on Sunday. >> Box score

The Yankees (82-66) play the final game of a four-game series against the Baltimore Orioles (72-77) on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees have changed the order of their starting rotation ahead of their upcoming series with the Twins beginning on Monday, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

LHP CC Sabathia, who was slated to start on Sunday, will instead pitch on Tuesday because the Yankees want him to avoid the turf in Toronto, Hoch reports. Instead, RHP Sonny Gray will pitch on Sunday and Jaime Garcia will pitch on Monday. 

Luis Severino will not pitch in the series with the Twins, who he has yet to face in his career. Severino's last start was on Friday, while Jordan Montgomery pitched for the Yankees on Saturday.

The Yankees hit three home runs and Jordan Montgomery tossed six scoreless innings en route to a 9-3 win over the Orioles on Saturday. >> Box score

The Yankees (81-66) play the third game of a four-game series against the Baltimore Orioles (72-76) on Saturday at 4:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.

RHP Adam Warren (back) will throw on flat ground this Saturday afternoon and is still hopeful of returning from the disabled list by the end of the season, according to MLB's Bryan Hoch.

Warren was placed on the disabled list on September 6 (retroactive to September 3) and was given no timetable to return. 

INF Miguel Andujar and RHP Jonathan Holder were recalled from Triple-A prior to Saturday's game against the Orioles.

Andujar's only game at the major league level came back in June when the third baseman recorded three hits and four RBI in four at-bats. He also registered a stolen base. 

The Indians lost to the Royals, 4-3, snapping their 22-game win streak. 

Edwin Encarnacion put the Indians on the board first with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first. However, Alcides Escobar launched a solo homer in the top of the second to tie things up at one apiece.

In the bottom of the third, Jose Ramirez lift a ball over the left field fence for a twon-run homer, giving the Indians a 3-1 lead. But the Royals would strike for three unanswered runs.

Yankees SS Didi Gregorius notched four RBI while starter Luis Severino picked up his 13th win of the season as the Yankees defeated the Orioles, 8-2.>> Box score

Hall of Famer and MLB Network analyst Pedro Martinez believes Yankees starter RHP Luis Severino could be a potential Cy Young candidate next season. 

Severino has been the Yankees' ace this season, and Martinez thinks his stuff is as good as anyone in the MLB. 

"Severino is as rich when it comes to stuff, to poise, to makeup, to pitch in the big leagues as anybody," Martinez told Newsday's Neil Best. 

The Yankees (80-66) play the second game of a four-game series against the Baltimore Orioles (72-75) on Friday at 7:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.

The Red Sox have been fined an undisclosed amount (which will be donated to Florida hurricane relief efforts) by MLB for using an Apple watch in an effort to steal signs from the Yankees, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced on Friday.

"In assessing the significance of this violation, the investigation established three relevant points," Manfred said in a statement. "First, the violation in question occurred without the knowledge of ownership or front office personnel. Second, when the Red Sox learned of the Yankees' complaint, they immediately halted the conduct in question and then cooperated completely in my investigation. I have received absolute assurances from the Red Sox that there will be no future violations of this type. Third, our investigation revealed that Clubs have employed various strategies to decode signs that do not violate our rules. The Red Sox' strategy violated our rules because of the use of an electronic device."

After the Yankees complained to MLB about the Red Sox stealing signs, Boston alleged that the Yankees pointed a YES Network camera at Red Sox bench coach Gary DiSarcina during their recent series at Yankee Stadiium. Olney reports that the Red Sox were aware of the camera from previous games and moved DiSarcina to a different spot that wouldn't pick up his signals. 

Yankees 3B Todd Frazier is not in Friday night's lineup against the Orioles due to back tightness, manager Joe Girardi told reporters.

Frazier is available off the bench and is expected to return to the lineup on Saturday, according to Girardi.

The 31-year-old Frazier is hitting .226/.373/.432 with nine HR and 27 RBI in 52 games for the Yankees since being acquired from the White Sox earlier this summer.

Chris Carelli, SNY.TV Facebook | Twitter | About Me | Archives

Our weekly minor league report canvases the Yankees' farm system providing updates about the status of the teams in action and the organization's top prospects. This week we will briefly cover the playoff results at each level. We will also examine seasonal results and outlooks for 2018 with the club's No. 10 through No. 6 prospects.

Triple-A - International League North Division - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

Record: 86-55, 1st place, 6.5 GA

The RailRiders won the International League North Division regular season title. The RailRiders dispatched of Lehigh Valley in the division series. Scranton is down 2-1 to Durham in the best-of-five International League Governors' Cup Championship Series.

Aaron Judge had two home runs to back up Masahiro Tanaka's strong outing to lead the Yankees to a 13-5 win over the Orioles on Thursday. >> Box score

Jay Bruce's walk-off RBI double in the 10th inning on Thursday secured a 3-2 win over the Royals to extend the team's winning streak to 22 games.

Their 22 straight wins are an American League record, and the second-longest winning streak ever, four games shy of the 1916 Giants, who won 26 straight games. That streak includes an unofficial tie that happened after their 12th straight win. The tie was called due to rain after nine innings with the score tied, 1-1.

The Indians trailed 2-1 in the ninth inning on Thursday, but Francisco Lindor tied the game when he hit a two-out RBI double with two strikes. It marked the first extra-inning win during the team's three-week-long winning streak.

"This was probably the toughest one we've had," Bruce said after the game, according to the AP. "Nothing like it, nothing like it."

The Yankees (79-66) will play the first game of a four-game set against the Orioles (72-74) at Yankee Stadium on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. ET.

 Chris Carelli, SNY.TV Facebook | Twitter | About Me | Archives

It's time to take the kid gloves off the Yankees' offense.

As aggressive as Yankees manager Joe Girardi has been with the team's pitching staff -- quick hooks of starters and extended appearances for relievers -- he's been overly passive with constructing his lineup. Days off and handedness platooning has to -- pardon the pun -- be put to rest.

With 17 games left on the schedule and a three-game deficit in the American League East, the Yankees cannot afford to be sitting their best hitters down the stretch. The importance to winning the division, which is well within reach, cannot be understated.

As the Yankees remain in the thick of the American League East and Wild Card races, Joe Girardi believes it is now even more important to make key decisions in regard to his pitching staff.

With two outs in the fifth and Jaime Garcia in line for a victory on Wednesday against the Rays, Girardi pulled the left-hander in favor of Chad Green. Even after Garcia left the field with some visible anger, the move paid off, as Green got Evan Longoria to fly out to end the frame. 

"I went up to him and told him, 'I understand if you're mad at me. I get it,'" Girardi told reporters. "If it's days after, that when there's an issue. I was happy he didn't want to come out. ... I think that early in the season, I probably would have left him in. June, I probably would have. July, I probably would have left him in. But you start to get to this point in the season and you have to make some personal sacrifices."

Yankees third baseman Todd Frazier took note of a fan's disapproval and made sure to imitate it when he had the chance. 

On Monday, Frazier belted a three-run homer at Citi Field, and what appeared to be a Tampa Bay Rays fan gave a thumbs down after seeing the third baseman round the bases. 

Shohei Otani will leave Japan after this season, as he will be posted this winter in hopes of playing in the majors in 2018, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.

Otani can be posted in November, when teams will have four days to bid on him with their international signing bonus pool. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman scouted Otani in late August, per the NY Post's George A. King III.

"He's definitely intriguing,'' manager Joe Girardi told reporters Wednesday. "Obviously, I haven't really seen him. But you hear reports on him."

Jaime Garcia allowed one run in 4 2/3 innings and the Yankees' bullpen bent but didn't break as they beat the Rays, 3-2, on Wednesday afternoon at Citi Field. >> Box score

The Yankees scored three runs in the top of the first inning to take a 3-0 lead.

Todd Frazier's RBI single made it 1-0, and Brett Gardner's single later in the inning drove in a pair.

The Indians beat the Tigers, 5-3, on Wednesday afternoon in Cleveland to win their 21st straight game.

Their 21 straight wins are an American League record, and the longest winning streak in baseball since the Cubs won 21 straight games in 1935.

Before the Indians, the last team to win 20 or more straight games was the Athletics in 2002. Their streak ended at 20. 

The 1916 New York Giants hold the record for the longest winning streak ever, with 26. That streak includes an unofficial tie that happened after their 12th straight win. The tie was called due to rain after nine innings with the score tied, 1-1.

The Yankees will recognize the 10th anniversary of the Super Bowl XLII Champion Giants this Saturday, it was announced.

Over 40 members of the Giants' championship team will be part of a pregame ceremony that will take place prior to the Yankees' 4:05 p.m. game. against the Orioles.

"The Yankees and the Steinbrenner family look forward to welcoming the New York Football Giants and the Mara and Tisch families back to Yankee Stadium," Yankees Chief Operating Officer Lonn Trost said in a press release. "This is a unique opportunity to highlight the 10-year anniversary of the Giants historic 2007 Super Bowl run. To have so many of the players here in this setting - and to celebrate their remarkable accomplishment - will make for a special and entertaining day."

Due to Hurricane Irma, the New York Yankees (78-66) will play the final game of a three-game set against the Tampa Bay Rays (72-73) at Citi Field on Wednesday at 1:10 p.m. ET

Sonny Gray pitched eight strong innings, but the Yankees' offense was only able to generate one run in a 2-1 loss to the Rays at Citi Field on Tuesday. >> Box score

Due to Hurricane Irma, the New York Yankees (78-65) will play the second game of a three-game set against the Tampa Bay Rays (71-73) at Citi Field on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. ET

New York Yankees first baseman Greg Bird (back spasms) felt better on Tuesday and expects to return to the lineup on Wednesday, reports Erik Boland of Newsday.

Bird is currently day-to-day, manager Joe Girardi told reporters after Monday's 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays at Citi Field.

Bird was a late scratch from Monday's lineup with back soreness and was replaced by Tyler Austin.