The Yankees end the regular season with a win over the Pirates

With the 162-game marathon finally complete, the Yankees are poised to begin an 11-win sprint.

But first, five days without games.

Playing on a rainy and rough day at the stadium with most of their starters out of the lineup, the Yankees capped the regular season with a 6-4 victory over the Pirates on Sunday.

Thanks to Alex Verdugo's two-run single in the bottom of the eighth, the Yankees finished the year at 94-68.

Having already secured the AL's top seed on Saturday night, Sunday's game was largely meaningless for the Yankees, aside from being their last chance at real at-bats and innings until Game 1 of the ALDS on Saturday, where they will face the winner of Wild basketball. Card series between the Orioles and the Royals.

“It's crazy – when you play 162 games, I feel like we've been through a lot as a team this year,” manager Aaron Boone said. “To end up with the best record in the American League, I think that’s something to be proud of. These guys should be proud that they overcame every challenge this year. It wasn't always easy, but we're proud that we put ourselves in a position to get our shot. We are happy about that.”

The only position left for the Yankees on Sunday might be to finish with a better record than the Phillies if they met in the World Series (the Dodgers already had the best record in the majors).

But the Phillies finished with a win over the Nationals in the bottom of the fourth inning in the Bronx, guaranteeing Philadelphia a better record regardless of what the Yankees did.

The Yankees have Monday off before practicing at the stadium Tuesday through Friday. Practices on Wednesday and Thursday will include some simulated games and live at-bats against either Yankees pitchers who need to do their work (including the rehabilitating Jake Cousins ​​on Thursday) or against minor league players.

The only real surprise on Sunday – aside from ensuring everyone made it through Game 162 healthy, which contributed to Aaron Judge being left out of the lineup to avoid having to play in the slippery conditions – was that Clarke Schmidt made his final pitch to start the ALDS and Ben Rice is called up to fill in for the injured Anthony Rizzo at first base.

After Gerrit Cole and probably Carlos Rodon, it will almost certainly be either Schmidt or Luis Gil in Game 3 of the ALDS.

And while the opponent will play some role, the way each of them throws as October begins will also play a role.

After Gil was tagged for four home runs on Saturday, Schmidt wasn't at his sharpest on Sunday.

The right-hander struggled with his command, walking four and striking out another batter while giving up four runs in four-plus innings.

Schmidt, who missed more than three months earlier this year with a lat injury, finished the regular season with a 2.85 ERA in 16 starts.

He already has experience in relief, which could make it easier to move him to the bullpen for the ALDS and keep Gil in the rotation.

If the Yankees make it to the ALCS, they may have to move Schmidt back into the starting lineup, assuming Nestor Cortes (left elbow flexor muscle strain) is still out.

With the Yankees, Rice also started at first base in the regular-season finale – he went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts – as a possible preview of the future of the ALDS.

Rizzo suffered two broken fingers when he was hit by a pitch in Saturday's loss, jeopardizing his chances of playing in the postseason. However, the Yankees have not yet placed him on the injured list and are trying to see if he might be available by next weekend.