The American League team’s game in the Division Series has now been decided. With a thrilling 2-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles, the Kansas City Royals will turn north from Camden Yards and head to Yankee Stadium for the ALDS. A stifling pitching performance is exactly what the Yankees need to guard against in the five-game set, but they clearly have an advantage at the plate.

The Royals enter the Division Series with the 20th-ranked offense in baseball and actually scored just three runs in their Wild Card win. The Yankees finished a single point behind the Dodgers in WRC+, fielding the game’s best lineup, although Baltimore ended the year in third place and we saw what KC did to them.

The big question for the Royals is whether Michael Wacha or Brady Singer will start Game 1. Wacha was designated as the man for a hypothetical Game 3 against Baltimore, but Singer’s stronger ground ball rate could be an advantage against a stronger Yankee lineup. Regardless, we know that Cole Ragans is scheduled for Game 2 on Monday night and Seth Lugo is scheduled for Game 3 in Kansas City.

Of course, Gerrit Cole is betting on the Yankees on Saturday, and the Royals’ lineup is truly a cruel pairing. Bobby Witt Jr. has an excellent case for being the best all-around player in the game today, and keeping him off base with his speed is a major key to advancing early in the series. Meanwhile, team captain Salvador Perez continues to be a complete sellout when it comes to HR power, and Cole has been known to give up the odd long ball.

Thanks to the Gritty Tigs’ upset win in Houston, Cleveland will face Detroit in the other half of ALDS play. As for the Yankees and Royals, here is their schedule.

After a week of rest, the Yankees get another day off next Sunday before traveling to Kansas City for two games at Kauffman Stadium. For Witt, the superstar actually has a WRC+ of 202 at home compared to 134 on the road, and the Royals as a team performed about eight percentage points better with Kauffman. They’re not much of an offense, but they get better with those cavernous corners and alleys.

To learn who is best positioned to make the Yankees’ playoff roster, check out Matt’s article from earlier this week. Following on from what Andrew wrote the other day, here’s a little more about what the Yankees will be thinking about as they finalize their roster and dream about the potential at No. 28:

As far as the rotation goes, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Luis Gil appear to be on track to start the first three ALDS games. Barring rain there is no need for a fourth starter given the off-day line-up, although Clarke Schmidt will be in the squad in a hybrid role just in case.
If the Yankees are fortunate enough to advance past the ALDS, the best-of-seven American League Championship Series against the Guardians or Tigers will take place Monday, Oct. 14 through Tuesday, Oct. 22, all games required . ALCS off-days are scheduled for the 16th and 20th, so the No. 4 starter could get in play there. The World Series would begin on Friday, October 25th.

Yankees vs. Royals is one of the most colorful postseason rivalries in Yankees history, as New York battled Kansas City in four different ALCS showdowns from 1976 to 1980, winning three of them. Chris Chambliss, George Brett and many more made lasting memories. Now, in 2024, we get the latest chapter. We’ll likely see the top three MVP finishers of this series, so there’s plenty of potential for fireworks.

See you all on Saturday evening!