MLB playoff picture: What does Orioles-Yankees mean for AL playoffs?

Game update: With their 6-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles, the New York Yankees are still alive in the race for the AL East title, and the top spot in the American League.

The 2025 Major League Baseball season enters its final weekend today.

And with three teams battling for two spots in the American League, two teams fighting for the final spot in the National League, and a host of division titles and seedings left to determine, the final weekend of play could be one for the ages.

Saturday’s slate of games gets underway at 1:05 p.m. Eastern, when the New York Yankees host the Baltimore Orioles. This game has playoff implications for the hosts, so let’s dive into the scenarios.

The Orioles enter play on Saturday with a 75-85 record and have been eliminated from the playoffs. They’re playing the role of potential spoilers.

With a 92-68 record, the Yankees have already clinched a playoff spot. However, they remain in the hunt for the AL East title -- and the top spot in the American League -- as games begin on Saturday.

The Yankees are tied with the Toronto Blue Jays atop the division, but the Blue Jays have already clinched a tiebreaker advantage over New York, as Toronto has an 8-5 record against the Yankees this season.

With both teams entering play on Saturday with a matching 92-68 record, the Blue Jays can clinch the AL East and the top seed in the American League, with both a win over the Tampa Bay Rays and a Yankees’ loss to the Orioles on Saturday.

As for the Yankees, they need a win over the Orioles and a Blue Jays’ loss to stay alive in the hunt for the AL East crown.

But the worst that New York can finish is as the top Wild Card team, meaning that if they miss out on the AL East title, they’ll slot into the MLB Playoffs as the #4 seed, and have home-field advantage in their Wild Card series.