The Tampa Bay Rays have already done what plenty of people didn’t see coming: they got to the postseason first. Now the job shifts from qualifying to locking down the kind of finish that can shape October.
As of Sept. 14, Tampa Bay sits four games ahead of the New York Yankees in the AL East with 13 games left in the regular season.
That cushion gives the Rays control, but only to a point. Every Tampa Bay win and every New York loss trims the magic number, and the next direct showdown could matter a lot.
That showdown arrives Sept. 22 at Yankee Stadium, when the rivals open a four-game series with a doubleheader. Tampa Bay needs to win just one of those games to claim the tiebreaker over New York, a detail that could loom large if the race tightens. In practical terms, it means the Yankees would need to finish a full game ahead of the Rays to pass them and take the division.
Winning the AL East would do more than settle bragging rights. It would also put Tampa Bay in position to grab home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs. If the Rays finish first in the division, they are almost certain to land the No. 1 seed, which would send the road to the World Series through Tropicana Field.
For now, the Rays, Yankees and Boston Red Sox are the only American League teams to reach 80 wins, and the division winner is still the clearest candidate to end up on top of the bracket. Tampa Bay still has a shot at even more than that, though. The Rays are 2.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers and tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in baseball.
Those three clubs are the only teams in the sport that haven’t lost 60 games. That gives Tampa Bay something else to chase over the final stretch, beyond the division race.
And there’s a real reason the Rays would want every possible edge. They have been excellent at Tropicana Field all year, going 50-25 at home. Only the Atlanta Braves, at 51-27, and the Milwaukee Brewers, at 52-26, have more home wins right now.
In Other News...
George Lombard Jr. Just Gave Yankees Fans A Tough October Question
George Lombard Jr. gave the Yankees a timely lift in their 8-3 win over the Minnesota Twins, helping spark the rally that locked up a postseason berth and added another layer to a rookie season that has already made him hard to ignore. For a club that has spent much of the year balancing development with urgency, Lombards bat has been part of the upside, and it was on display again when the Yankees needed a push to finish the job.
The question now is whether the Yankees can trust the rest of his game when the games get bigger. Lombard has been inconsistent defensively, with multiple errors and even a six-game stretch in August where he misfired every night, but Aaron Boone has stayed publicly confident in his long-term potential. For a team heading into October, that leaves one familiar Yankees dilemma hanging in the air: how much runway do they give a rookie whose talent is obvious, even if the mistakes have not gone away? [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Just Got A Huge October Vote Of Confidence
In a season where injuries have repeatedly clouded the picture, the Yankees still drew a significant endorsement from around the game. In a poll of 16 MLB executives conducted by ESPNs Jesse Rogers, New York was named the team to beat in the American League, a sign that the league still sees the rosters ceiling as one of the highest in baseball.
The appeal is obvious: when healthy, the Yankees can lean on a pitching staff and offense that executives believe can match up with anyone. Aaron Judge remains the headliner, and Cam Schlittler is among the names tied to the clubs upside, but the bigger question is whether New York can finally get enough of its key pieces on the field when October arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Suddenly Have A Rafael Devers Idea Fans Can't Ignore
Rafael Devers has already done enough this season to keep his name circulating well beyond San Francisco, and the Yankees are suddenly being mentioned as a possible landing spot as the offseason approaches. Buster Olney and Paul Hembekides floated the idea as a fit worth watching, pointing to Devers stronger offense and the simple reality that a bat like that tends to reshape any lineup conversation the minute it becomes available.
For the Yankees, the appeal goes beyond star power. There is a path to making the roster work with some positional shuffling, and the contract situation matters just as much as the production, especially with payroll always part of the equation in New York. The timing could also push the conversation forward quickly, since any major move before a projected lockout and a new collective bargaining agreement would give a front office less room to wait and see. [Read more 🡒]