A flying bat helped the Yankees clinch a playoff spot on Wednesday night at T-Mobile Park.
Anthony Rizzo, who had two hits and two RBIs, drove in Jasson Dominguez with a double to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead, which they did not relinquish.
But it wasn’t easy.
The Yankees brought in reliever Ian Hamilton to close it out in the bottom of the 10th inning, but he needed help from a bizarre double play and an alert Austin Wells.
Cal Raleigh led off the frame with a bloop single to left to put runners on the corners before Hamilton got Randy Arozarena to strike out.
But Arozarena’s bat went flying down the third-base line, with Julio Rodriguez dancing out of the way to avoid it.
But Rodriguez, who may have forgotten he could be tagged out, didn’t rush back to the bag.
That allowed Wells a chance to throw down to third, where he picked off Rodriguez for the second out.
Hamilton then struck out Justin Turner, who had hit a solo homer earlier in the game, to end it as the Yankees locked up a spot in the postseason.