NEW YORK – There’s something this current, wobbling Yankees team might find comforting about the 2000 Yanks.

A two-time defending world championship, that 2000 club stumbled into October having played as badly - or worse- than any also-ran, with 15 losses in their final 18 games.

As their manager recalled during Saturday’s Old-Timer’s Day at Yankee Stadium, celebrating the 25 th anniversary of that eventual World Series-winning team, the pressure was building daily.

In a late-season meeting, Joe Torre told his team: “I think we may have to drink this champagne before the game,’’ instead of waiting for the clinching party.

Torre’s 2000 club arrived in the playoffs on a seven-game losing streak, out-scored 68-15. Expert MLB daily picks: Unique MLB betting insights only at USA TODAY

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