New York Yankees Clinch 21st AL East Title; What Are Their World Series Chances?

The New York Yankees are AL East champions for the 21st time in franchise history. What are their World Series chances?

Sep 26, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pose for a photo in front of the main scoreboard after defeating the Baltimore Orioles to clinch the American League East division title at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees clinched their 21st AL East title in franchise history on Thursday night in a 10-1 rout of the rival Baltimore Orioles.

Now that they have secured a first-round bye in the postseason, the Bronx Bombers will look to lock up the No. 1 seed over the Cleveland Guardians. Entering play on Friday, New York's magic number to get the top-seed in the AL is two with three games left to play, as they hold the tiebreaker.

Whether they get the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in October or not, the Yankees have a legitimate shot to end their 15-year World Series title drought.

In the starting rotation, the Yankees have ace and reigning AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole, who has seemingly hit his stride after missing the first three months of the season with an elbow injury. The right-hander has allowed just one run in his last 15.2 innings (two starts) and has posted a 2.90 ERA in his past 15 outings.

Lefty Carlos Rodon, who will likely slot in as the No. 2 starter in the postseason rotation, has also picked things up as of late. The southpaw has produced a 3.29 ERA in his last seven starts (38.1 innings) and the Yankees will need him performing up to his All-Star form in October.

Behind Cole and Rodon, rookie Luis Gil and righty Clarke Schmidt could get the final two spots in the rotation. That would leave Marcus Stroman as the odd man out, but the team will still be relying on him to give them meaningful innings as a long reliever. Southpaw Nestor Cortes was on a roll as of late, however, a left elbow flexor strain may knock him out for the playoffs.

In the bullpen, the Yankees have gone with a closer by committee after Clay Holmes lost the job. Former starter-turned-reliever Luke Weaver has stepped up with a 1.02 ERA and four saves in his last 17.2 innings. New York recently lost breakout arm Jake Cousins to a right pectoral strain, which puts his return in October in question. That being said, Tommy Kahnle and Tim Hill have performed well and figure to pitch in key spots in the postseason. Holmes will see high-leverage situations in the playoffs, but it remains to be seen whether he will get any opportunities to close.

The Yankees' offense is a lot less of a question mark heading into October, and is a big reason why they look like the favorites in the AL. Led by MVP frontrunner Aaron Judge and fellow superstar Juan Soto, the Bronx Bombers' lineup will be a major threat in the postseason.

But Judge and Soto need proper support from deadline pickup Jazz Chisholm Jr., second baseman Gleyber Torres, DH Giancarlo Stanton, rookie catcher Austin Wells, and others.

The Yankees will also need to figure out who to start in left field. Despite providing more offensive potential, rookie Jasson Dominguez has had his fair share of defensive miscues as of late, creating concern regarding whether he can handle left field duties in the postseason. Veteran Alex Verdugo has struggled with the bat, but provides plus-defense in left, and could be the safer option with every playoff game being critical. Dominguez replaced Verdugo in the starting lineup earlier in the month, but now the Yankees might be forced to go back to the latter.

Although there are some questions that still need to be answered, the Yankees have a strong chance to come out of the AL with the Guardians, Orioles and Houston Astros looking like their biggest obstacles to get to the World Series.

As far as their chances of breaking their World Series title drought? The National League's three most dangerous teams look to be the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres. All three are realistic opponents if the Yankees make it to the Fall Classic.

But with the star power the Yankees have, not to mention the roll they've been on in September, the team looks like a serious World Series title contender with October looming.