The New York Yankees clinched their third straight postseason berth after the Toronto Blue Jays lost to the Detroit Tigers on Monday night. After an 8-3 win over the Minnesota Twins, manager Aaron Boone praised his team and offered insight into why they can be a legitimate threat once the tournament begins.

“There's a lot of grit in these guys, which I love,” Boone said. “We’re used to playing in tight, difficult situations and hopefully that's something that serves us well in the month of October.”

New York has now won 87 contests this season and has emerged victorious in seven of their last 10 games. They currently hold the American League’s top Wild Card spot and are just 3.5 games behind the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays. If the standings were to remain as presently constructed, the Yankees would face the Boston Red Sox in a best-of-three Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium.

The Bombers’ clinch has come after a campaign filled with injuries and setbacks. Despite having one of the best rotations in the sport, arms like Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, and Carlos Rodon have missed time at different points. Additionally, the lineup was without captain Aaron Judge for the vast majority of their schedule and only got him back into the fold earlier this month.

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Judge cranked a three-run home run in the Bombers’ latest win. The bomb was his first since returning from a rib injury that kept him out for over three months. Through his first 65 games, the 34-year-old has hit 18 home runs, collected 41 RBIs, and posted an .878 OPS.

It remains to be seen how far Boone, Judge, and the Yankees will go this October, but they’ve given themselves a chance to bring home the franchise’s first World Series title since 2009.

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