At so many points this season, it has all seemed to be over for the Yankees. Then, against the odds, they have pulled themselves back up and made another tortured, unexpected lunge to keep themselves in playoff contention.

There will be no coming back now. It is all finally, mercifully over, as the Yankees were eliminated from playoff contention in a 8-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays Wednesday night.

The Yankees were facing elimination on two fronts Wednesday night–either a loss to the Rays or a win by the Cleveland Indians would finally be the death blow for the Yankees' season. In the end, the Yankees were doubly knocked out. Even as they gamely mounted a bases-loaded rally in the bottom of the 8th inning, they were able to watch the scoreboard as Nick Swisher's Indians romped past the Chicago White Sox for the knockout win. Moments later, the Yankee rally fizzled, but the meaningful portion of the season was officially done already.

From left, Yankees Brendan Ryan, Robinson Cano and Mark Reynolds wait for a new pitcher after a three-run homer put the Rays well ahead. Associated Press

Normally, any Yankee season that doesn't end in at least a World Series berth is considered a failure, and seasons when they don't make the playoffs are cause for a full-scale housecleaning. Before 2013, the Yankees have only missed the playoffs once in the last 18 years, in 2008.

But 2013 was unique, and manager Joe Girardi and Co. don't figure to be scapegoats for what most see as an anomalous season dominated by talk of injuries, and of the final gasps of the Yankees' oldest stars. Mariano Rivera's farewell tour, Andy Pettitte's decision to say goodbye, and Derek Jeter's miserable, depressingly mortal season were reminders that this team was still subsisting on magic from a dynasty that reigned during the Clinton administration.

On top of that, the Yankees weren't just bitten by the injury bug, they were devoured whole hog. Injuries to Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson, Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia, and many, many more forced the Yankees to use a cast of Triple-A players, journeymen, and well-past-their-prime former stars just to fill lineup spots. They were like the Cleveland Indians in the film "Major League," except their revolving-door cast wasn't terribly lovable, and they didn't win in the end.

The Yankees used a franchise record 56 players in 2013, a record that covers 110 years of Yankee baseball. Many were just used as stopgaps for a few days or a week, then tossed aside in the hopes of a slight upgrade. Some stuck. Most didn't.

"I think our front office and ownership did the best they could," Girardi said. "The one thing is, when you lose a guy like Tex, who's a 35-100, [competent replacements] aren't laying around. You lose a 40 home-run guy [Granderson], you lose an everyday shortstop [Jeter], those guys just aren't laying around, and people aren't just going to give them to you, either. They did the best they could and I was satisfied."

Amazingly, the scrappy club overachieved to the point where they stayed in contention throughout the season. Less than two weeks ago, the Yankees were riding high. They had been pushed around by the Boston Red Sox, but responded by taking a series from the Baltimore Orioles, and went back to Boston only a game out of a wild-card berth.

Then, things fell apart for the final time. The Yankees were manhandled again by Boston, and then lost a series to a beatable Toronto club. From that point on, the stench of death was on this team.

"I guess if you were to say there was a swing, that was probably it," Girardi said.

So the Yankees will sit home in October, knowing that Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte are retiring, uncertain about the fates of Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter, unsure if Robinson Cano will re-sign.

All that is certain is that the Yankees' traditional stars cannot carry this team forward any longer. In 2014, much will have changed for this Yankee club, and good times may still be ahead for a different crew. But 2013 will go down as the battered, beaten end for the old guard, who just didn't have that special magic anymore.

Write to Daniel Barbarisi at