Can the Yankees still win the division?

There was very little doubt in Yankee fans' minds entering this season that they'd be a playoff team, and a division winner.  However Aaron Judge's missed time and a horrendous slump by the pitching staff led to the Toronto Blue Jays swooping in almost out of nowhere to take advantage.  What was once a 7 game lead at the end of May was gone by July 4th, and the Blue Jays never looked back.

For a while there the Boston Red Sox were a threat as well, overtaking second place from the Yankees for a brief period.  Now Judge is back and hitting the ball well, Fried is pitching lights out again, and the Yankees find themselves with a chance at escaping the Wild Card race.

As of September 21st the Yankees are only two games back from Toronto, and Toronto is giving them every chance to come back.  Despite the Jays losing their last 4 games after an impressive 6 game win streak, New York is struggling to capitalize on the opportunity.  Had they not been shut out in game 1 vs the Twins, and dropped game 2 against Baltimore, this division would sit tied.

But there is no reason to lose hope just yet.  While the Yankees schedule stays easy, with 6 games at home vs the White Sox and the Orioles, the Blue Jays risk getting swept by Kansas City, then take on a Boston Red Sox team fighting for their life to stay in the Wild Card.

One thing that's made this MLB season so fun has been the competitiveness.  There is no one team head and shoulders above the rest as the clear favorite.  So this is a rare opportunity for the Yankees to head into October and try to be the hottest team out there.  Winning the division and having a higher seed will make a huge impact on that, but it guarantees them nothing.  Their stars are still going to need to show up when the lights are brightest if they want to win their first World Series since 2009, and negate the memory of 2024.