Tied and fried, but are the Yankees better off without a first-round bye? Yes.

LISTEN: The Yankees are better off losing the first-round bye to the hateful Jays.

There. I said it. Fill me with bongwater, and zip-tie me to your unicorn. Cover me with kitty litter, and exile me to Utica. Yeah, I spake it, and I meaneth it. Here's why... 

1. Whatever happens in '25, the '25 Yanks must beat the '25 Redsocks. There is no end-run, no secret passageway, no magical incantation that unlocks the glistening of Jack Curry's hair. We either beat Boston this week, or we piss away Grisham's rise, Schlittler's breakout, and another great Judgeian season. We haven't beat the Redsocks in a critical postseason series since Javier Vasquez flushed away The Curse. So, here it comes: I say, if we're going to lose, let it happen now - this week - rather than deeper into October. Same outcome. Let's not waste time.

2. We're better off facing Boston in a three-game set. That way, we don't face Garret Crochet twice. Don't get me wrong: I love Max Fried, and the aces might go toe-to-toe, aura-to-aura. But I'd prefer not to face Crochet twice.

3. Year after year, first-round winners roll into the next level on wild emotional upswings, if not walk-offs. If the Yankees beat Boston next week, they will roll into the second round against whomever with fire in their bellies, rather than Doritos.

4. Year after year, no matter how hard they practice, first-round bye teams go flat during their off-weeks. They do interviews. They play "simulated" games. They watch TV. They go stale. The Yanks are better off playing - not sitting around. 

That doesn't mean they should lose today. Nope. They gotta beat Baltimore, for old time's sake. But don't sweat the bye. Next week, let's play Boston in the Bronx.