‘We still have a lot of baseball to play’: New York Yankees’ players in win-or-go-home mode

The New York Yankees dropped Game 3 of the American League Division Series 8-4 to the Tampa Bay Rays, who are now 2-1 ahead and have the Bombers with their backs against the wall.

In the blink of an eye, the Yankees went from being 1-0 ahead in the series to be facing elimination with one more loss. However, the team’s stars are confident that they will be able to put on a fight tonight, when Jordan Montgomery takes the hill in the win-or-go-home affair in San Diego.

“We know what we need to do,” Giancarlo Stanton said to MLB.com. “It’s going to be a tough battle, but there’s no other option. We know what’s in front of us, and that’s all you can do. What’s happened has happened. We know we need to get some wins.”

Stanton once again came through with the bat on Wednesday’s loss, but this time, it was a little too late. He hit a two-run dinger in the ninth inning to make things interesting and bring Tampa’s closer Diego Castillo to the game. But the Yankees weren’t able to do more damage.

The Yankees are obligated to win tonight

“That’s the nature of the postseason — you’re going to have some highs and lows along the way,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Every loss hurts and stings, but we have a great opportunity in front of us, still. We’re in control of things. We’ve got to go out, try to get a ‘W’ tomorrow and force this thing to a Game 5.”

“We’ve still got a lot of baseball to play,” Judge said. “Let’s do our homework, refocus, recalibrate. We need to get ready for the next two days.”

The Tampa Bay Rays dominated the Yankees 8-2 in the ten-game series during the regular season. For now, they are also up 2-1 in the ALDS. But as long as they are alive, and as long as they have their formidable offense, they have a chance to fight back.

Make no mistake: the New York Yankees may be down, but they are not out yet.