As Aaron Boone prepared for the potential chaos that Game 162 could unleash on his club and Major League Baseball, the manager appeared calm and collected while he spoke to reporters before the regular season finale.

The Yankees entered the day in search of two outcomes: a win over the Orioles and a Blue Jays loss to the Rays. That combination would have secured the American League East for the Bombers, given them a first-round bye in the postseason, and locked them in as the No. 1 seed in the American League.

“It’ll be an exciting day,” Boone said beforehand. “There’s obviously a few things to sort out. But at the risk of sounding boring, it’s ‘we’re trying to win today,’ and that’s kind of how we look at it.

“We’ll be paying attention to what’s going on around the league, but obviou

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