"The Yankees have hardly been whole all season and yet it has been hard to identify holes in the order given a lineup that has produced the most runs in the majors.

But then comes a day like yesterday, on which Alex Rodriguez, playing in only his sixth game since July 7, serves up a reminder of what the Yankees look like with him swinging out of the cleanup spot, a reminder of what the Yankees will have to be in order to successfully navigate through October.

"Guys have stepped up for us all year, but when you put Alex in the middle of the lineup, it's a whole different story," CC Sabathia told The Post after putting away the Blue Jays 9-3 in The Bronx. "You're talking about one of the best and most feared hitters in the game.

"As a pitcher, I can tell you it sets up way differently."

The season is no longer about statistics for Rodriguez, at least none that he would care to recite. He will not extend his major league record of consecutive seasons with 30 home runs and 100 RBIs to 15.

The pursuit of Barry Bonds' 762 home runs, even if largely delegitimized by No. 13's admission of steroid use, has slowed to a crawl. The athlete who never played fewer than 154 games in a season from 2001 through 2007, hasn't played more than 138 in a year since."