BALTIMORE − Those bottles of playoff-clinching champagne aren’t on ice yet, but the case is on order.
Entering Friday night’s game against the Orioles at Camden Yards, the Yankees had a magic number of six to enter postseason as at least the AL’s third wild-card entry.
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Currently, the Yanks (86-67) have a two-game lead on the top AL wild card spot – affording home field advantage in a best-of-three wild card series – with nine games to play.
Plus, the Yankees’ advantageous remaining schedule – six games against the Orioles (72-81), three against the White Sox (57-96), with six of those games at Yankee Stadium – have them still in the divisional picture.
The Toronto Blue Jays, with a three-game edge over the Yankees (plus a tiebreaker, based on head-to-head records), entered Friday’s play with a magic number of six to win the AL East.
Several teams are in play for the remaining wild card spots, so let’s look at the remaining tiebreakers involving Yankees’ potential first-round opponents:
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Yankees or Red Sox: Who holds AL wild card tiebreaker?
Sep 14, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) pitches against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Fenway Park.
If the ancient rivals wind up in a tie for the top wild card spot, the Yankees will be traveling to Fenway Park for the opening best-of-three series. But that’s a long-shot scenario now.
The Red Sox went 9-4 against the Yankees, but Boston (83-70) has faded to the third wild card spot, three games behind the Yanks and threatened by the surging Cleveland Guardians (81-71).
Yankees or Astros: Who holds AL wild card tiebreaker?
Sep 2, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez (59) reacts after giving up a grand slam to New York Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham (not pictured) during the fifth inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
The Yankees and Astros split their season series 3-3, taking them to the next tiebreaker: Records within their own division.
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And here’s where it gets interesting: Entering Friday, Houston is 22-21 vs. the AL West while the Yankees are 22-24 versus the AL East.
Yankees or Mariners: Who holds AL wild card tiebreaker?
Aug 17, 2025; Williamsport, Pennsylvania, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) celebrates with teammates after hitting a two-run home run against the New York Mets at Journey Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Right now, the Mariners and Astros – both at 84-69 – are locked in a tie atop the AL West and they’ve got a highly important three-game series beginning Friday at Houston.
Should the Mariners end up in a wild card tie with the Yankees, that series would be in the Bronx, based on the Yankees’ 5-1 season record vs. Seattle.
Yankees or Guardians: Who holds AL wild card tiebreaker?
Aug 6, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; Cleveland Guardians designated hitter David Fry (6) follows through on a solo home run against the New York Mets during the second inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Buried in the AL Central at the MLB trade deadline and seemingly pointed toward 2026, Cleveland had won 12 of its last 13 games to pull within three games of the first-place Detroit Tigers.
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A game-and-a-half back of Boston for the final AL wild card spot, the Guardians and Yankees split their season series, 3-3.
If a tiebreaker is necessary, it’ll go to the Guardians, with a 31-14 divisional record.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Yankees playoff scenarios: Where they stand in AL Wild Card tiebreakers