Schadenfreude 171 (A Continuing Series)

HAPPY YANKEE ELIMINATION DAY!

Mark Feinsand, Daily News:

The Yankees were officially eliminated from playoff contention Wednesday night, falling 8-3 to the Rays to end any hope for a miracle to close out this injury-plagued season.

The Bombers were actually eliminated during the eighth inning, as the Indians polished off a win over the White Sox, ending whatever remaining hopes the Yankees had for a late-season miracle. ...

On Sept. 13, the Yankees trailed the Rays by only one game in the wild-card race as they opened a series in Boston against the first-place Red Sox. Three days and three losses later, the Bombers were reeling.

They never recovered, having lost eight of their last 11 games to fall out of the race.

"The series in Boston this month is the one that jumps out at everyone as the one that changed everything," [Vernon] Wells said. "We were playing with as much momentum as you could have and they still dominated us. It showed what that team is capable of doing. That was a pretty good right hook to the jaw."

Dan Martin, Post:

The Yankees finally were put out of their misery Wednesday night.

They lost 8-3 to the Rays, but were officially eliminated from playoff contention before the end of their game when the Indians beat the White Sox in Cleveland.

The details hardly matter, since the Yankees had been on life support since being swept out of Boston on Sept. 15.

Wallace Matthews, ESPNNewYork:

[N]othing went right for the Yankees this season.

The Yankees' run of dreadful luck, in fact, stretches back probably to the early hours of Oct. 13, when Derek Jeter took a step to his left to field a double-play grounder and wound up with a metal plate and four screws in his ankle.

From there, it was all downhill until Wednesday night, when the Yankees lost 8-3 to the Tampa Bay Rays to finally pull the plug on their improbable dream, although the dream had died an inning earlier, when the Cleveland Indians, powered by former Yankee Nick Swisher, completed a victory over the Chicago White Sox that secured for them the second AL wild card spot the Yankees have been hoping to somehow sneak into. ...

[T]here's really no point in dissecting what went wrong in 2013.

In a word, everything. From Day 1.

Kevin Kernan, Post:

This was the perfect ending for the imperfect team. The charade officially is over.

The $62 million Rays blew the doors off the Yankees on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium, 8-3, thanks to two home runs by Evan Longoria.

The Yankees officially were eliminated from postseason play during the eighth inning, when the Indians finished off the White Sox, 7-2. At that moment the 37,260 fans were on their feet cheering as the Yankees had the bases loaded, hoping for a miracle comeback, but the season already was kaput. ...

There will be no October baseball for the Yankees for only the second time in 19 seasons. This year may be more like 1965 than 2008. This could be a long drought.

Anthony McCarron, Daily News:

Robinson Cano says he hadn't made any decisions about his future yet. But the Yankee second baseman admits that he's thought about the possibility that Thursday's home finale could be his last game in pinstripes at the Stadium.

Dan Martin, Post:

Robinson Cano could play his last game in pinstripes at The Stadium on Thursday.

"Who knows?" Cano said before the Yankees faced their first elimination game of the season Wednesday night against the Rays. "I don't know what's going to happen."