Blue Jays: tied with the Yankees atop the AL East; the winner will secure the No. 1 seed in the AL, while the loser will settle for the top wild card and the No. 4 seed. Toronto holds the tiebreaker. Mariners: in line to win AL West and secure the No. 2 seed in the AL.

Despite being five games back in the standings just a week ago, the Yankees still have a shot to win the AL East. Here are the playoff scenarios.

If those watching the celebration of the Yankees’ postseason berth on TV found it to be tamer than some of the bashes they threw last year, that’s because it was.

The Yankees can credit their success to yet another terrific season from Judge, who may well win consecutive AL MVP awards. Offseason additions like slugger Cody Bellinger, lefty Max Fried, and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt also ranked among the 10 most productive players on New York's roster, according to Baseball Reference's metrics.

In the second game of this series against the White Sox, Ben Rice was behind the plate, catching Max Fried for the first time and lashing a triple to continue his strong September in an 8-1 win.

New York Yankees star Aaron Judge praises ace Max Fried with bold 4-word message during a tight AL East playoff race.

The win also featured a second-inning RBI double from Austin Wells and a two-run, six-inning performance from Luis Gil.