The New York Yankees clinched their 21st AL East title in franchise history in a 10-1 loss to the rival Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night.

Now that they have secured a first-round bye in the postseason, the Bronx Bombers will look to clinch the No. 1 seed over the Cleveland Guardians. When New York plays on Friday, New York’s magic number to finish top in the AL is two with three games to play as they hold the tiebreaker.

Whether or not they end up ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in October, the Yankees have a legitimate chance to end their 15-year World Series title drought.

In the starting rotation, the Yankees have ace and reigning AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole, who has seemingly hit his stride after missing the first three months of the season with an elbow injury. The right-hander has allowed just one run in his last 15.2 innings (two starts) and has posted a 2.90 ERA in his past 15 appearances.

Left-hander Carlos Rodon, who will likely be the No. 2 starter in the postseason rotation, has also picked things up lately. The left-hander has produced a 3.29 ERA in his last seven starts (38.1 innings) and the Yankees will need him to reach his All-Star form in October.

Behind Cole and Rodon, rookie Luis Gil and righty Clarke Schmidt were able to grab the last two spots in the rotation. This would leave Marcus Stroman as the odd man out, but the team will still rely on him to give them meaningful innings as a long reliever. Southpaw Nestor Cortes has been on a roll lately, but a left elbow strain could keep him out of the playoffs.

In the bullpen, the Yankees have gone with a closer by committee after Clay Holmes lost the job. Former starter reliever Luke Weaver has paced with a 1.02 ERA and four saves in his last 17.2 innings. New York recently lost breakout arm Jake Cousins ​​to a right pectoral strain, putting his October return in doubt. That said, Tommy Kahnle and Tim Hill have performed well and plan to pitch at key positions in the postseason. Holmes will see high-leverage situations in the playoffs, but it remains to be seen if he will get closing opportunities.

The Yankees’ offense is much less of a question mark heading into October, and is a big reason why they look like the favorites in the AL. Led by MVP frontrunner Aaron Judge and fellow superstar Juan Soto, the Bronx Bombers lineup will be a major threat in the postseason.

But Judge and Soto will need the right support from deadline pickup Jazz Chisholm Jr., second baseman Gleyber Torres, DH Giancarlo Stanton, rookie catcher Austin Wells and others.

The Yankees will also have to figure out who to start in left field. Despite having more offensive potential, rookie Jasson Dominguez has had his fair share of defensive lapses lately, raising concerns about whether he can handle left field duties in the postseason. Veteran Alex Verdugo has struggled with the bat, but offers plus defense on the left, and could be the safer option as every playoff game is crucial. Dominguez replaced Verdugo in the starting lineup earlier this month, but now the Yankees could be forced to return to the latter.

While there are still some questions yet to be answered, the Yankees have a great chance of making it out of the AL, with the Guardians, Orioles and Houston Astros appearing to be their biggest obstacles to reaching the World Series.

As for their chances of breaking their World Series title drought? The three most dangerous teams in the National League appear to be the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres. All three are realistic opponents if the Yankees make it to the Fall Classic.

But with the star power the Yankees have, not to mention the role they played in September, the team looks like a serious World Series title contender as October approaches.