New York Yankees: 5 ways to make the World Series in 2018

The New York Yankees' magical run fell short as they lost Game 7 of the ALCS to the Houston Astros 4-0.

Throughout the season the Yankees were full of surprises as many had the "Baby Bombers" set to finish towards the bottom of the American League Eastern Division. Aaron Judge would have none of that and thanks to his hot start, the Yankees stunned the division and found themselves in the middle of a playoff race. Gary Sanchez built on his success from his rookie season, and Luis Severino emerged as the ace the Yankees believed he could be.

Two blockbuster trades in the middle of the season put the "Baby Bombers" over the hump and made them look at the bigger picture this year. Sonny Gray, David Robertson, Tommy Kahnle, and Todd Frazier all came up huge as the Yankees knocked off the best team in the American League, the Cleveland Indians, in the ALDS and surprised the entire baseball world. 

In the ALCS, New York found itself in an early 2-0 hole but climbed out of it to take a 3-2 series lead going back to Houston. The Astros continued to dominate at home and held the Yankees to only one run in their last two games, ending the Yankees season. 

This was a successful season for the Yankees but like manager Joe Girardi said, there is room for improvement.