beyond the back page The title-starved Yankees aren’t supposed to have this many questions By Ryan Dunleavy Published Sep. 29, 2026, 7:40 a.m. ET The Yankees' George Lombard Jr. throws to first base in a game against the Rays on Sept. 24, 2026. Getty Images The good thing about the run-it-back Yankees — the nickname given to an Opening Day roster that felt like Act II of the 2025 season after an inactive offseason — was supposed to be elimination of the unknown.
No fear of a Jacoby Ellsbury or Carl Pavano-like free-agent flop. No Josh Donaldson hailed as the missing complementary piece in the lineup. No rookie being rushed to do too-much too-soon like Anthony Volpe circa 2023.
Consider it a great irony then that the run-it-back Yankees begin the postseason tonight (Game 1 of a best-of-three against the Red Sox) with more uncertainty than any of manager Aaron Boone’s previous teams.
For better or worse, Yankees fans have a certain level of comfort in knowing what to expect when the playoffs start: Three-time MVP Aaron Judge isn’t able to carry a team to a title by himself … Giancarlo Stanton is going to turn back the clock with moonshot home runs … Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole is going to pitch to about a 2.90 ERA over six innings, unless it’s against the nemesis Red Sox (gulp) … and Jazz Chisholm Jr. is going to antagonize opponents and excite fans.
