NEW YORK — The New York Yankees have had two months, ever since they were swept at Fenway Park in early August, to come to terms with a reality that could have left their palms sweaty: that their World Series ambitions would have to begin with nine innings of unpredictable, win-or-go-home baseball.
Knowing what awaited them — general manager Brian Cashman called it a steel-cage match — had drained some of the satisfaction the Yankees might have otherwise reveled in after winning 100 games.
As it turned out, maybe all that time simply prepared them for the moment.