Yankees' path to the World Series has never been more inviting with the Astros and Orioles eliminated

The most intriguing part of Wednesday’s wild day of wild-card games – certainly from the standpoint of the team residing in the Bronx – took place in the bracket opposite the Yankees’.

Yes, the Yankees learned they will play the Royals in the best-of-five American League Division Series, which starts Saturday night at the Stadium. Kansas City completed a two-game sweep of the Orioles, an AL East rival of the Yankees, in Baltimore.

But it was the result at Houston’s Minute Maid Park that got the most attention in the Yankees organization.

The Astros – a team that has caused more angst and anger and heartbreak for the franchise than any other club the last 10 years, having knocked the Yankees out of October four times since 2015 – are gone from the postseason, jettisoned by the on-fire Tigers.

“No, it’s a different crew,” Yankees GM Brian Cashman said on a Zoom call Thursday, asked if there was at least a small part of him “glad” his club’s October road won’t require a trip to Houston. “What happened in the past happened under a different regime and different people. And you come to learn you don’t have any rooting interest in October either way.”

Regardless, the Yankees’ path to qualifying for their first World Series since last winning it in 2009 – which already looked promising after securing the AL’s top seed – has never appeared more inviting.

There are, after all, three teams from the always suspect AL Central left in the AL playoffs, with the winner of Yankees-Royals getting the winner of Guardians-Tigers in the ALCS.

“I think we’ve got a shot, without a doubt,” Cashman said. “But I know this too: the Royals are a tough opponent … I think we have a great shot, but we only have a great shot if we play our best baseball.”

Though the Yankees took five of seven games this season from Kansas City, the Royals feature one of the league’s best rotations, fronted by a pair of Cy Young Award candidates – Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo. Ragans pitched Tuesday in Baltimore followed by Lugo on Wednesday so the Yankees will see veteran Michael Wacha in Game 1 Saturday and Ragans in Monday’s Game 2.

The lineup isn’t scary in the traditional sense – other than Bobby Witt Jr. – but it is one that is generally scrappy and puts the ball in play.

And the 24-year-old Witt Jr., who has had his way with Yankees pitching since debuting in 2022, hit everyone this season as he pushed Aaron Judge in the race for AL MVP, hitting .332 with 32 homers, 45 doubles, 11 triples and a .977 OPS in 161 games. The lineup received an unexpected boost in the wild-card round with the return of Vinnie Pasquantino, who broke his right thumb in late August and was thought to be done for the rest of the year but returned to DH against the Orioles.

A shaky bullpen got a boost at the trade deadline with the acquisition of back-end reliever Lucas Erceg, who posted a 2.88 ERA and went 11-for-13 in saves after arriving from Oakland.

“What we’ve seen from this Royals team all year is that they’re very well-rounded, excellent starting pitching,” manager Aaron Boone said Thursday. “They’ve got Vinnie Pasquantino back, who when he went down, their offense really suffered there. Having him back in the middle is big … their bullpen I feel like has really ticked up here over the last month. So I think they’re a formidable team, a scary team. They’re coming off a big road series victory against a good opponent, and will probably walk into here with a lot of confidence. That said, we’re excited for the challenge of it.”

Extra bases

Though he hasn’t been officially ruled out, it continues to be highly unlikely first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who suffered two broken fingers on his right hand last weekend after getting hit by a pitch, will be able to play in the ALDS. “Clearly the timing of that injury was not great,” Cashman said … The Yankees, as expected, will pitch ace Gerrit Cole in Game 1 and Carlos Rodon in Game 2. The club hasn’t yet decided between Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt in Game 3. Nor has the team decided which way it will go in leftfield between Alex Verdugo and Jasson Dominguez. “I have in my mind where I’m going right now, but I’m still going to let it marinate for 24 hours,” Boone said. “At least for Game 1, and then it could be fluid from there.”