The 2024 American League Divisional Series is here and the Yankees and Kansas City Royals are ready to take each other on tonight, reigniting an old rivalry.
With young stars on both sides and unlikely heroes for both teams down the stretch of the 2024 season, there could only be one winner, and it should be a thrilling watch for us fans.
The New York Yankees
The Yankees continue to be the gold standard of the American League having won an AL best 94 games this season, granting them the one seed in their conference, and obviously the American League East title, for the twenty first time.
The Yankees season was wildly inconsistent, high peaks, very low valleys. There have been few dependable players through those mood swings this year.
The Yankees outfield anchored by 25 year old lefty, Juan Soto and 32 year old righty, Aaron Judge. Combined the duo have 99 home runs, 253 RBIs, 346 hits, and are both certainly going to be first team All MLB players this year.
Judge is expected to win his second American League MVP, after winning his first in 2022.
They are supported by third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. who has been tremendous since the New York Yankees acquired him from the Miami Marlins back in July, sophomore shortstop Anthony Volpe, hall of fame caliber slugging designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton, and breakout rookie catcher, 2024 American League Rookie of the Year candidate Austin Wells.
2016 World Series winning champion first baseman Anthony Rizzo will not be on the roster due to fracturing his fingers, in his stead will be rookie Ben Rice or longtime Yankees utilityman Oswlado Cabrera.
The Yankees have a decent pitching rotation, headlined by 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole. Cole missed much of the 2024 regular season with “right elbow inflammation” but never needed surgery.
Trying to work his way back Cole has had varied results in 2024, but ended the season in spectacular fashion going 9 innings in Oakland, while striking out 7 A’s, and allowing just 2 hits, one walk, and a lone run, his next and final start came on September 26th, when Cole faced the division rival Baltimore Orioles and allowed adjust 2 hits, no runs, and struck out 5 across 6.2 innings.
Aside from Cole the rotation has had mixed results, sometimes two time All Star Carlos Rodon looks like an ace caliber pitcher, other times he looks like a fourth fifth starter in a solid rotation, Yankees faithful hope he will be closer to ace form in the ALDS where he is projected to start.
The Yankees are expected to use lefty Nestor Cortes out of the bullpen, and quite frankly I’d be surprised if Marcus Stroman is on the postseason roster given how inconsistent he has been over the second half of the season.
The Yankees are expected to start either 26 year old righty Luis Gil or 28 year old right hander Clarke Schmidt in game three, both having mixed results over the second half of the season.
The Yankees bullpen has been a blight throughout the season and has many unreliable players in it, their closer over the last few weeks of the season was the surprising hero, 30 year old righty Luke Weaver.
Meanwhile, former closer and 2024 All Star Clay Holmes has been relegated to seventh or eighth inning duties.
Managing the Yankees is 51 year old Aaron Boone, who has been with the club since 2018, having beena player for them in 2003. Boone is 14-17, having been to the ALCS twice, in 1019 and in 2022, after finishing first in the American League East in 2019, 2022, and 2024.
The Kansas City Royals
Their opponents are the young upstart Kansas City Royals, led by 24 year old shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who proved he is everything the Baltimore Orioles pretend to have, going 3-7 in the two game sweep of the “O’s”, while driving in two runs, and playing stellar runs.
This coming after his incredible regular season, when he won the American League batting title with a .332 batting average, along with 32 home runs, 31 stolen bases, and 109 RBIs, for fans of more contemporary statistics, Witt Jr. had an OPS+ of 171, and an OPS .977.
Vinnie “The Pasquatch” Pasquantino had an excellent second game of the AL Wild Card round, going 2-4 with an RBI and a walk.
The rest of the Royals lineup is comprised of decent role playing hitters, 2015 World Series MVP catcher Salvador Perez is back in the postseason for the first time since ‘15 when the Royals win “the fall classic” now in a different stage of his career, 40 year old first baseman first baseman Yuli Gurriel won two World Series rings with the Houston Astros, defensive first outfielder MJ Melendez, journeyman Tommy Pham, second baseman Michael Massey, and other utility journeymen and young players trying to make a name for themselves.
The Royals are here mostly thanks to their pitching staff, led by reclamation project Seth Lugo who had a career high in wins and innings pitched, to go along with an elite 3.00 ERA as a first year Royal, 26 year old flamethrowing lefty ace Cole Ragans, sinkerballer extraordinaire Brady Singer who has had mixed results in 2024, and 2013 NLCS MVP Michael Wacha, who is starting game at Yankee Stadium.
The Royals bullpen is nothing to scoff at either, with closer Lucas Erceg, who Kansas City acquired from Oakland at the trade deadline, sealing both Royals wins against Baltimore and not allowing a single run or hit over his last five outings, all of which were saves.
Around Erceg are lefty Angel Zerpa, righty John Schreiber, lefty Sam Long, and former left handed starter Kris Bubic who all pitched game two against Baltimore, with only Bubic and Long allowing base runners.
Leading the Royals is second year manager Matt Quatraro who is now 2-0 in postseason.
New York Yankees vs Kansas City Royals Stats to Consider
As mentioned previously New York has home field advantage, so “the city of blinding lights” will host games 1,2,and 5.
The Yankees are 5-2 against the Royals this year.
This is the fifth time these two have faced in the postseason, and the first since 1980, after the pair faced each other in ‘76, ‘77,and ‘78. The Yankees were 9-8 against the Royals in that time, as back then the ALCS was a best of five format.
The current game schedule is game 1 tonight at 6:38 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx New York, broadcasted on TBS and streaming on Max,
Game 2 Monday October 7th, at 7:38 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York, broadcasted on TBS, TruTV, and streaming on Max.
Game 3 Wednesday October 9th, at 7:08 at Kauffman Field in Kansas City, Missouri, broadcasted on TBS, TruTV, and streaming on Max.
Game 4 Thursday October 10th, at 8:08 at Kauffman Field in Kansas City, Missouri, broadcasted on TBS, TruTV, and streaming on Max.
Game 5 Saturday October 12th, at 8:08 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx,New York broadcasted on TBS, TruTV, and streaming on Max
Games four and five are only as needed, for more on sports and pop culture, go to Respect My Region’s home page.
