DETROIT — When the Yankees left town 10 days ago, they looked like a broken down team, one that began the season doing little to dispel the diminished expectations that had been placed on them. Their starting pitchers looked fragile, the fielders looked fraught and their hitters too often looked feeble.
It was early April, true, but it seemed only a matter of time before the Yankees ceded relevancy this summer to the other team in town, the Mets.
Now, after Thursday’s 2-1 win over the Detroit Tigers, the Yankees return home having won six of their last seven, earning perhaps a share of first place when the day is over and equal billing against the Mets when they open a three-game series on Friday at Yankee Stadium.