One week to go in the 2018 regular season. The Yankees have already clinched a wildcard spot. Now they need to clinch the top wildcard spot. The magic number to do so is five. Tonight the Yankees open a four-game series in Tampa against a Rays team that is still mathematically alive in the postseason race. The Rays have to win out and the Athletics have to lose out, and all that does is force a Game 163 tiebreaker. Tampa can’t claim a postseason spot outright at this point. But that’s their problem.
The Yankees are going to give the Rays a taste of their own medicine tonight by using an opener.