ARLINGTON, Texas — Much of the season was a Next Man Up performance and mentality for the Yankees.
It made for good summer stock theater and the Yankees made it through the regular season gauntlet knowing they have more depth than they possibly could have imagined, but with the calendar soon flipping to October, enough with the Next Man Up.
Not that the Yankees ever were underdogs, not with the resources they possess, but this team this summer was not the same team Red Sox president Larry Lucchino once labeled the “Evil Empire.’’
Now, even though the Yankees are still fighting off their fair share of injuries going into the postseason, the Next Man Up mantra is over.