NEW YORK — Last week was eye-opening pain for the Yankees.
They felt a numbing sting in late September when the hated Red Sox won the AL East at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 20. Being ousted by Boston from the playoffs at home 20 days later hurt 10 times more.
“This isn’t college football where you get a bowl game,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Friday in a season wrap-up news conference at Yankee Stadium. “This is Major League Baseball and only one team gets to call themselves champs and that’s not going to be us.