AL postseason set: Orioles-Royals, Astros-Tigers open wild-card round

The American League playoff picture is set. Here's how things in the AL look in the first two rounds of October:

No. 4 Orioles vs. No. 5 Royals

The Orioles missed out on repeating as AL East champions but were still able to secure home field for the wild-card round. Baltimore got off to an excellent start to the season but posted losing records in July and August before going 13-12 in September.

Camden Yards has been kind to the home team, though - the Orioles recorded a 44-37 mark there for the 2024 campaign. Meanwhile, the Royals went 41-40 on the road.

Baltimore went 4-2 against the Royals this season, but the teams have not faced off since April.

The Orioles were swept by the Texas Rangers in the ALDS last season. The Royals are making their first playoff appearance since winning the World Series in 2015.

No. 1 seed: Yankees

The New York Yankees locked up the AL East on Thursday and secured the top record in the league, along with the No. 1 seed, on Saturday. New York owns home-field advantage throughout the ALCS should the team advance. While home-field advantage should benefit the club, the Yankees also won an MLB-best 50 games on the road this season.

New York will open its postseason Saturday, Oct. 5 in the Bronx against either the Royals or Orioles. The Yankees went 5-2 against the Royals in the 2024 campaign, and 5-8 against the Orioles.

No. 3 Astros vs. No. 6 Tigers

Houston won the AL West for a fourth straight campaign but heads to the wild-card round after posting the worst record of the three division winners. The Astros have remarkably reached the ALCS in each of the last seven seasons, playing in the World Series four times, and winning twice.

This isn't the heavyweight Astros team of years past, but the championship core is still intact and playing well heading into the playoffs. Houston was one of the best home teams this season, going 46-35 at Minute Maid Park.

The Astros went 4-2 against former manager A.J. Hinch's Tigers in 2024. The Tigers are 43-38 on the road, and enter the playoffs on fire, going 17-8 in the final month of the regular season. Detroit is making its first playoff appearance since 2014.

No. 2 Guardians

The Guardians won the AL Central for the second time in three seasons and were granted the No. 2 seed after finishing behind the Yankees.

Cleveland's pitching allowed the second-fewest runs in the AL despite losing Shane Bieber to injury for the bulk of the campaign. They also were the only AL team to win at least 50 games at home, which bodes well for the club when the ALDS opens at Progressive Field on Saturday.

The Guardians, who haven't played in the ALCS since 2016, went 1-4 against the Astros this season. Cleveland did go 7-6 against the Tigers, but haven't played since July.