NEW YORK -- When Aaron Judge fractured his right wrist July 26, first place in the American League East was within striking distance and the fallback option of hosting the wild-card game seemed fairly secure for the New York Yankees.
Three weeks later, winning the AL East does not appear to be a reality and suddenly hosting the wild-card game does not appear as secure. The Yankees are 10 1/2 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the division and 5 1/2 clear in the wild-card race.
With those things in mind, the Yankees hope to rebound from a pair of disappointing performances against the Tampa Bay Rays when they host the Toronto Blue Jays in the opener of a three-game series Friday night.