The New York Yankees will be playing the Philadelphia Phillies in a key Interleague series starting Friday at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees will try to get their defense in order after committing seven errors this past week in three games against the Toronto Blue Jays. That was the major reason why the Blue Jays beat the Yankees in two of three games at the Rogers Centre.
The Phillies meanwhile will be looking to comeback from a devastating loss to the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday at home. The Phillies blew a 5-0 lead, but lost 9-8 in 11 innings.
Where are the Yankees and Phillies in the standings?
New York is second in the American League East at 56 wins and 46 losses. They are four and a half games back of the Blue Jays in the division. New York does have the best record in the American League wildcard chase. They lead the Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers by three and a half games for a playoff spot.
The Phillies are at 58 wins and 44 losses, two games ahead of the Yankees. Like the Yankees, the Phillies are in second place in their division, as they are only behind the New York Mets in the National League East. The Mets are at 59 wins and 44 losses, and lead the Phillies by four percentage points. The Mets are at .573 and the Phillies are at .569.
Philadelphia has the second best record in the National League wildcard chase. They are two games back of the Chicago Cubs, which are at 60 wins and 42 losses, and have the top wildcard spot in the senior circuit. The Phillies currently lead the San Francisco Giants by four and a half games for a playoff spot.
Who are some of the key players in the series?
In the series, we will have the top two Major League leaders in hits. Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge of Linden, California leads the Majors with 129 hits (66 singles, 37 home runs, 24 doubles, and two triples). Phillies shortstop Trea Turner of Boynton Beach, Florida is second in the Majors with 119 hits (86 singles, 20 doubles, 11 home runs, and two triples).
Judge is the dominant favourite to win the American League Most Valuable Player Award for the third time in four years. He also leads the Major Leagues in batting average (.345), on base percentage (.453), slugging percentage (.717), and total bases (268). Judge is also the American League leader in runs scored (90), runs batted in (84), and walks (73). Judge is second in the Major Leagues in home runs with 37 (only behind Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh of Cullowhee, North Carolina who has 39), and second in the Major Leagues in runs batted in with 84 (only behind Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez of Puerto Ordas, Venezuela who has 86).
Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler of Smyrna, Georgia gets the start on Sunday. He leads the National League with 164 strikeouts and 15 quality starts.
