Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across Major League Baseball. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Yankees fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
The final week of MLB’s regular season has begun and the Yankees are right on the brink of nailing down their eighth playoff appearance in nine seasons, thanks to a four-game lead on the two teams tied for the last Wild Card spot. There’s still an outside chance of chasing
down the Blue Jays for the AL East crown, but the safe assumption is that the Yanks will be in the Wild Card Series (and most likely hosting at Yankee Stadium).
The identity of the Yankees’ opponent remains a mystery, though. For awhile, it looked like the Red Sox were in lockstep with the Yanks and a Rivalry edition of the Wild Card Series was on deck. The question was simply whether it would be in the Bronx or Fenway.
However, Boston has slipped a bit without star rookie Roman Anthony, and while they’re currently in position to face New York in the first round, it’s less certain than before. The Red Sox are a game up on the suddenly surging Guardians (left for dead mere weeks ago) and the Astros, who have essentially replaced the Mariners in this debate following Seattle’s apparent AL West-claiming sweep in Houston over the weekend. Adding to the muck: the Tigers are on the verge of improbably squandering a 15.5-game lead over the Guardians in the AL Central. Like Boston, they’re only one game ahead of Cleveland, and they have a head-to-head series this week that may well decide the division.
We want to know who you would least want to face from these four teams. They all have various levels of strengths and weaknesses but you make the call! We’ll check out the results later in the week, when we might have a better idea of what’s on deck for the playoffs.
