And then there were eight. Eight teams remain in the hunt for the 2026 MLB World Series Championship, with the Division Series round of the ever-expanding MLB Playoffs starting on Saturday. Let’s find ourselves some winning plays before the action begins. Next up, the top two teams in the American League East, the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays, duke it out.
Yankees vs Rays Division Series Predictions & Best Bets
#4 New York Yankees vs #1 Tampa Bay Rays
Game 1: Saturday, 6:30 PM ET @ Tampa Bay
Game 2: Monday, 8:00 PM ET @ Tampa Bay
Game 3: Wednesday, 8:00 PM ET @ New York
Game 4: Thursday, 8:00 PM ET @ New York (if necessary)
Game 5: Saturday, 8:00 PM ET @ Tampa Bay (if necessary)
We do it every year, and we tend to regret it. We always underrate the Tampa Bay Rays, and they (almost) always overperform. This year they were “supposed” to be an also-ran in the American League East, maybe flirt with a .500 record at best. Instead, 98 wins and an AL East pennant later, the Rays find themselves up against the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series after a first-round bye.
This is back to normal for Tampa Bay, as back-to-back playoff-less seasons in 2024 and 2025 have proven to be an aberration rather than the norm. Now the Rays’ next challenge is to actually win a playoff series, something they haven’t done since 2020. And – spoiler alert – I’m not betting on this year being the year they do it.
Maybe I’m falling into the trap I just wrote about (re: underrated the Rays), and maybe the books are as well, inserting the Yankees as the series favorites, but I don’t think so. Even without Aaron Judge (or, best case, a diminished Judge), the Yankees are and were a formidable offense this year, hitting the second-most homers in the majors and slightly outscoring the Rays (739 to 736). And phenom Ben Rice, who swatted 41 dingers this season, has proven that he’s up to the task in the playoffs, leading the team in hits (five) and homers (two) in the Wild Card Round against the Boston Red Sox.
However, I’m getting fancy with my play for this series – I think Tampa Bay wins Game 1, but New York wins the series. The Rays trot out Drew Rasmussen on Saturday, and he’s been great against the Yankees. Plus, Tampa Bay is stellar at home now that they are back at Tropicana Field. But with expected Cy Young winner Cam Schlittler tossing Game 2 for the Yankees, I think the visitors steal that one and take care of business at home.
And I’m going with the aforementioned Ben Rice to lead the series in homers. He hit five against Tampa Bay this season, and he seems underwhelmed by the playoff pressure.
Best Bets: Tampa Bay to win Game 1 + New York to win series (+390); Ben Rice to lead series in homers (TBA)
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