New York Yankees capture 21st AL East title; What are their chances of making the World Series?

The New York Yankees captured their 21st AL East title in franchise history with a 10-1 win over the rival Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night.

After securing a first-round bye in the postseason, the Bronx Bombers will look to secure the No. 1 seed over the Cleveland Guardians. Coming into play on Friday, New York's magic number for first place in the AL is two, with three games left to play as they hold the tiebreaker.

Regardless of whether or not they are seeded No. 1 or No. 2 in October, the Yankees have a legitimate chance to end their 15-year World Series title drought.

In the starting lineup, the Yankees have standout and reigning AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole, who appears to be back in the swing of things 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 last 15 games.

Left-hander Carlos Rodon, who will likely serve as the No. 2 starter in the postseason rotation, has also picked up steam recently. The southpaw has posted a 3.29 ERA in his last seven starts (38.1 innings) and the Yankees need to reach his All-Star form in October.

Behind Cole and Rodon, rookie Luis Gil and righty Clarke Schmidt could secure the final two spots in the rotation. That would make Marcus Stroman the odd man out, but the team will continue to rely on him to give them meaningful innings as a long reliever. Southpaw Nestor Cortes has had a good run of late, but a left elbow flexor strain could sideline him for the playoffs.

In the bullpen, the Yankees went with a closer by committee after Clay Holmes lost the job. Former starter and reliever Luke Weaver has posted 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 muscle strain, putting his October return in doubt. Still, Tommy Kahnle and Tim Hill performed well and are expected to occupy important spots in the postseason. Holmes will experience high-leverage situations in the playoffs, but it remains to be seen whether he will get opportunities to finish.

The Yankees' offense is far less of a question mark heading into October and is a big reason they are considered the favorites in the AL. Led by MVP front-runner Aaron Judge and fellow superstar Juan Soto, the Bronx Bombers' lineup will pose 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 also need to figure out who will start in left field. Although rookie Jasson Dominguez has more offensive potential, he has had some defensive lapses of late, raising concerns about his ability to handle left field duties in the postseason. Veteran Alex Verdugo has struggled with the bat but provides good defense on the left side and could be the safer option with every playoff game crucial. Dominguez replaced Verdugo in the starting lineup earlier this month, but now the Yankees may be forced to go back to the latter.

Although some questions still need to be answered, the Yankees have a good chance of getting out of the AL, with the Guardians, Orioles and Houston Astros considered their biggest obstacles to the World Series.

What are their chances of breaking their World Series title drought? The three most dangerous teams in the National League are probably 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 performance they showed in September, the team appears to be a serious contender for the World Series title coming up in October.