BALTIMORE — After Brett Gardner hit a dribbler in front of the plate, he sprinted down the first-base line as always, legs churning and dirt flying, until he ran through the bag.
Arriving just after the ball landed in the glove of first baseman Chris Davis, Gardner grabbed his helmet with both hands, removed it from his clean-shaven head and slammed it to the ground.
It was one of several overt signs of frustration the Yankees have displayed in recent days, their excitement over reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2012 tempered by their inability to claim the one victory this weekend that would have cemented a home game for Tuesday’s wild-card playoff.