After 162 games, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will meet at Fenway Park to decide who will move on and who will go home in tonight’s American League Wild Card playoff game.

Based on the modern game’s fixation on power, the 2021 Bronx Bombers were constructed to bash the opposition into submission. But in a survive or die affair, the Yankees have selected to go with defense and not offense.

Behind Gerrit Cole on the bump, the Yankees will have Brett Gardner patrolling center field, Andrew Velasquez manning shortstop, and Gio Urshela moving back to third base. Behind the dish will be Kyle Higashioka and not Gary Sanchez.

When it comes down to crunch time, Brian Cashman’s analytics department and Aaron Boone have decided to eschew their 162-game approach and attempt to win with D. My gut tells me this is a manager’s decision.