34-12 since July 4th. The New York Yankees won last night 7-6 over the Oakland Athletics. Why does this matter? Several reasons.

First and foremost, it helps in the standings, it keeps the Yankees 3 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox for the first Wild Card spot in the American League, which would mean the game is in New York rather than Boston, which is vital. I’m not saying they wouldn’t win in Boston but the pressure of that game would be magnified 100 fold, and almost certainly be on national television, in Prime Time. Not that the game wouldn’t be, it would just be helpful if the game were in New York rather than Boston.

So, how did they win last night? Welp, it was a nail biter, but the Yankees used some timely hitting amd clutch pitching to get the W. Jameson Taillon was sub par but picked up by a Yankee Bullpen that has struggled all year. Jonathan Loiasiga pitched 2 late innings for the win, and Aroldis Chapman got the save.

The offense was paced to a 6-2 early after home runs by Brett Gardner, Giancarlo Stanton and Joey Gallo. The game turned on an Aaron Judge single in the ninth that scored Tyler Wade. It was the Yankees 12th straight win, an incredible thought after a brutal loss to Boston on July 25th.

Timely hitting, clutch pitching, and an Aaron Boone ejection were the key last night.

The Yankees go for 13 in a row tonight with their ace, Gerrit Cole on the mound, color me excited.

Back tomorrow with a recap,