When you think about “clutch” seasons in Yankees’ history, one that has to come to mind is 1978. That year, the Yankees famously came back from 14 games down in the AL East, rallying all the way back to catch the Red Sox and finish the regular season tied. They then won a tiebreaker game against the Red Sox — you might be aware of that — before going on to beat the Dodgers in the World Series.
Because the Yankees and Red Sox finished tied atop the division, it meant that the Yankees needed every single win they got over the course of the season.