It's IMPERATIVE for the NY Yankees to clinch home field for the AL Wild Card game -- so says Alex Rodriguez, who tells TMZ Sports why a road game could spell DOOM for the Bronx Bombers.
The Yankees are currently in the driver's seat -- up 2.5 games over the Oakland A's. If they keep the lead, the 1-game Wild Card round will go down at Yankees Stadium. If not, it's off to Oakland.
Enter A-Rod -- who we got in L.A. at the Jeep Wrangler Celebrity Customs Reveal Event ... he says a home game vs. away game is "night and day" and explained why having to travel across the country would put his former squad in a real hole.
"The Yankees finish the season in Boston," A-Rod points out ... "You don't wanna have to jump on a plane [and go] 3,000 miles and go play at the Coliseum, which historically has always been one of the toughest places for the Yankees to win."
The AL Wild Card game is right around the corner -- scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 3.
By the way, the last time the Yankees met the A's in the playoffs was in 2001 ... and it spawned one of the most iconic plays in baseball history.