Sep 3, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Cody Bellinger (35) celebrates with designated hitter Aaron Judge (99) after hitting a three-run home run during the ninth inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Yankees Could Have Golden Playoff Opportunity Against Astros

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Jack Markowski | Last updated Sep 14, 2025 11:00 AM ET

Given a few recent changes in the standings, the New York Yankees could have an early chance to exercise some playoff demons of the past this fall.

With three consecutive wins, including two to open its final regular season series of the year against the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees have strengthened their hold on the top Wild Card spot in the American League.

Simultaneously, the Red Sox are now tied for the No. 6 seed and have essentially found themselves as the final team in the field, sitting just two games up on the red-hot Texas Rangers for that spot.

The Seattle Mariners are back on track as well with eight-straight wins and are now tied with the Houston Astros for first place in the AL West, though three games remain between the two teams.

As a result, the Yankees may very well take on the Astros, who were in sole possession of the top spot in their division for a large chunk of the year, in a best-of-three Wild Card Series to open the postseason in a little over two weeks.

New York broke through and won its first AL pennant in 15 years last season, but the club squandered numerous opportunities to do so in the past by consistently falling short vs. Houston.

The two teams first faced one another in the postseason during the Wild Card Game all the way back during 2015, which the Astros emerged victorious from.

Thomas B. Shea-Imagn Images

Two years later, the Yankees pulled off a miraculous run to the ALCS before getting eliminated in seven games by Houston, who went on to win its first World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Another ALCS matchup in 2019 saw the Astros advance past New York in six games, and a third bout for a Fall Classic berth during the 2022 postseason saw Houston sweep the Yankees.

There's plenty of bad blood between the two teams due to their playoff history as well as the Astros' sign-stealing scandal that gave them quite an unfair advantage over New York in the late 2010's, which is something the Yankees and the fan base likely won't ever forget.

Though there's still plenty of time for the standings to shift, a Wild Card Series matchup between New York and Houston would reignite the rivalry while also providing the former with a perfect opportunity to finally get the better of the latter in the playoffs.

The Astros have felt more susceptible to an early postseason exit than usual over the past few years, evidenced by the fact that they were eliminated by the Detroit Tigers in the Wild Card round in 2024, which lines up perfectly for the Yankees to potentially get some early revenge this fall.

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