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The Yankees just punched a ticket for their third-consecutive trip to the ALDS. This year, however, won’t involve a winner-take-all Wild Card Game. That’s because the Yankees are the AL East champions, having clinched the title with a 9-1 victory over the Angels.
The rest of the playoff picture has yet to take shape in the American League. There are some clues, however, as to who the Bombers may face in the ALDS.
Should the Yankees finish the season with the best record in the league, they would host the winner of the Wild Card Game. If the season were to end today, the one-game playoff would feature the Oakland Athletics and the Tampa Bay Rays. On the other hand, if the Yankees fall short of the best record, they would most likely play the Minnesota Twins, who have a 98.7% chance of winning the AL Central, according to FanGraphs.
Tonight’s victory—the 100th of the year—secured New York’s first AL East title since 2012. That season saw the Yankees and Orioles battle down the stretch for the division championship. This year, however, the Bombers paced the field, which is even more impressive considering how the club was ravaged by injuries.
For those interested, MLB released a tentative postseason schedule. Here’s what we know about the ALDS so far:
2019 ALDS Tentative Schedule
| Game | Date | Location | Time | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game | Date | Location | Time | Network |
| One | October 4 | TBD | TBD | MLB Network or FS1 |
| Two | October 5 | TBD | TBD | MLB Network or FS2 |
| Three | October 7 | TBD | TBD | MLB Network or FS3 |
| Four* | October 8 | TBD | TBD | FS1 |
| Five* | October 10 | TBD | TBD | FS1 |
In the meantime, congratulations Yankees fans! You deserve the fun after riding the roller coaster of the 2019 season. We’ll check in on how the Bombers celebrated a little later on. Spoiler alert: it involved #ALittleBitOfTheBubbly.