What used to be a regular event in October is back after more than forty years, as the Yankees face the Royals in the postseason for the first time since 1980.

Kansas City advanced to the ALDS with a sweep of the Orioles in the wild-card round, closing the game with a 2-1 victory in Baltimore on Wednesday.

Now the Yankees will look for more playoff success against the franchise they faced four times in a five-year span from 1976 to 1980, with the Yankees winning three of those series.

But instead of pitting Reggie Jackson and George Brett against each other, the series will focus on the top candidates for the AL MVP in Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt, Jr.

Judge made another run at the AL home run record he set two years ago, finishing the season with 58.

Witt, the 24-year-old shortstop in his third season in the Majors, kept Judge from winning the Triple Crown by leading the AL with a .332 batting average.

The Yankees’ comeback after a disappointing 2023 season in which they missed the playoffs hardly compares to Kansas City’s turnaround.

The Royals lost 106 games a year ago and were a threat to win the AL Central this season before a seven-game losing streak followed from late August to early September.

That was followed later in September by a second seven-game skid that nearly derailed their season, but the Royals did enough to return to play for the first time since beating the Mets to win the 2015 World Series -offs.

Given the opportunity Tuesday to say which team he would rather play in the ALDS, Aaron Boone declined to choose between the Royals and Orioles.

“I always pay attention to what you want,” the manager said before the Yankees practice in The Bronx. “I always say that to coaches. We could be watching a game in June and you’re watching a division rival play another team and you root for another team, I’m like, ‘Hey, be careful what you wish for. That team can knock us out.” So I always say, ‘Let it happen, we will prepare as best we can for anyone who comes our way.’ ”

Now they know this is the team they have beaten five out of seven times this season.

The Yankees won against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium in June before the teams split a four-game series in The Bronx last month.

Oddly enough, these were the only two games the Royals lost in a nine-game stretch in what was otherwise a pretty ugly month.

With an offense led by Witt and veteran catcher Salvador Perez – the lone remaining player from the 2015 championship team – and a rotation featuring Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans, Kansas City will look to overcome its relative lack of postseason experience.

And their manager, Matt Quatraro, is in his second year in the Kansas City dugout after five years on Kevin Cash’s staff in Tampa Bay.

Now, a year after finishing in last place, the Royals get a shot at the Yankees.