Since October is now in full swing, that can only mean one thing—the MLB playoffs are back. While their crosstown rivals the Mets finished just short of the postseason, the New York Yankees look primed to make a deep run towards the 2019 Fall Classic. However, before it all kicks off this weekend, we decided to wrap up the regular season and preview their upcoming opponents.
A Look Ahead at the Upcoming Yankees MLB Playoffs Run
Regular Season Recap
This season, for the first time since 2012, the New York Yankees won the American League East division with a record of 103-59.
Although the team dominated the rest of the league, there were still a fair share of hiccups along the way, most of which had to do with injuries. For the vast majority of the season, the Bronx Bombers were without many key contributors, including Giancarlo Stanton, Luis Severino and Dellin Betances.
However, along with Yankee stalwarts Gleyber Torres, Aaron Judge and Brett Gardner, newcomers like DJ LeMahieu, Gio Urshela and James Paxton led the team to their highest win total since 2009, when they last won the World Series.
American League Division Series
For the first time in years, the Yankees will thankfully not be playing in the stress-inducing one-game wildcard. Instead, they will be going head-to-head with the AL Central-winning Minnesota Twins (101-61). However, these aren’t the same-old Twins that the Yankees have eliminated from the playoffs five times since 2003.
After being beaten by the Yankees in 10 straight postseason matchups, the Twins will turn to their strong bullpen and power hitters, just like the Bronx Bombers. In fact, this season, the Yankees (305) and Twins (303) had the most home runs in the entire league.
Although the Yanks are early favorite in the series, look for players like Nelson Cruz, Jorge Polanco and Jose Berrios to be the difference-makers.
Beyond the ALDS
The 2019 MLB playoffs are filled with baseball’s top contenders. If the Yankees are lucky enough to make it out of the ALDS, they will play either the winner of the AL wildcard game or the hottest team in the league, the Houston Astros.
And if they make it past the ALCS, a World Series with the dangerous Los Angeles Dodgers could be in the cards. However, the MLB playoffs contain a lot of uncertainty, so truly anything can happen!
Anyway, if you’d like to catch some playoff baseball up close and personal, the Yankees will play ALDS home games in the Bronx on October 4, 5 and 10. So, click here to secure tickets for those games, as well as for the following series.
