It is done.

Robinson Cano drove in five runs, Chien-Ming Wang picked up victory No. 19 and Mariano Rivera pitched a 1-2-3 ninth as the Yankees thumped the D-Rays 12-4 on a Wednesday night in St. Petersburg.  The Bombers rolled a lucky 7 in the fifth and added three more in the sixth to secure a spot in the post-season for the 13th straight year.

The Good:

Robinson Cano.  Robbie Cano -- don't cha know!  Cano's three-run homer in the fifth gave the Yanks a commanding 8-1 lead and helped put the bubbly on ice.  Canu has been on fire in September (.326, 3 HR, 18 RBI) and has set career highs in HRs (19) and RBIs (94) this season.  He also squeezed the final out of the game with a big, fat grin on his face.  Good stuff.  Cano finished 2 for 5 with a run scored and 5 runs batted in.

Derek Jeter.  El Capitan!  Jeter's solo shot in the third knotted the score at 1-1 and got the Yankee train rolling.  I'm ashamed that I didn't mention that DJ picked up his 200th hit of the year the other night.  He's done it three straight seasons and six times in his career.  Jeter has tasted nothing but playoffs during his stint in pinstripes and 2007 will be no different.  It's good to be the king.  Jeter finished 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBIs.

Jorge Posada.  Jorgie has really become the heart and soul of the Yanks.  The job once belonged to Paul O'Neill, but Posada has picked up the mantle and done a great job.  Batting over .330 for the whole season also helped.  Posada's two-run single in the fifth cracked the game open and set the stage for Cano to kick down the door.  Posada finished 3 for 6 with a run scored and 3 RBI.

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The Bad:

Luis Vizcaino.  The Viz is sputtering and it's coming at the worst possible time.  Vizcaino entered the game in the eighth inning sporting a 10.50 ERA during September and those numbers will be going up.  Almost every ball was hit on the screws.  The Yanks are going to have to right the ship with Vizcaino -- they're going to need him.  Vizcaino's totals: 1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 HR.

The Ugly:

Ugly?  There's no ugliness today!  The Yanks have made the playoffs!  Oh sure, I could complain that they got in as a wild card and not as the division champ (which is still mathematically possible, but extremely remote) for the first time since 1997, but I won't.  Yep, I'm kicking back and enjoying this.

It's been a hard climb for the Yanks.  There will be some who won't give this team credit for battling back this season.  They'll say that the Yankees should be in the playoffs with their payroll, their all-star lineup and all their resources.  Fair enough, but if you followed the Yanks all season you witnessed a bunch of guys transform into a team.  This squad is so different from the one that began the season in April at Yankee Stadium.  I mean, Carl Pavano made the Opening Day start for the Yanks.  Thanks have to go to Brian Cashman and Joe Torre on a great job.  They brought up the kids -- Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Shelley Duncan, Ian Kennedy and Edwar Ramirez -- and they all played important roles during the season.  Take a bow, fellas.

Phil Hughes will make the start on Thursday for the Yanks and will go up against Tampa ace Scott Kazmir.  Hughes has had a good September -- he's 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA.  Kazmir has also put up good numbers in the last month, he's 2-1 with a 2.16 ERA. 

This is only step one on the road toward a ring, but for now sit back and enjoy.  For fans who grew up watching the Yanks in the mid-'80s and early '90s (and that's me) soak in the thought of watching your team in the post-season for the 13th straight season.