Yankees and Orioles could be on a collision course for a postseason showdown

Aaron Judge chatted courtside with Adleyrutschman during Tuesday’s game as he turned his attention to the not-too-distant future.

“I’ll probably see you later,” Judge told the Orioles catcher.

In the event that 13 regular-season games weren’t enough – the Orioles had an 8-4 lead heading into Thursday’s finale – the Yankees could see their AL East opponents again in the postseason, depending on how the last few days and the Wildcard fail series plays out.

Had the season ended after Wednesday, the Yankees would have received a bye from the ALDS and faced the winner of the Orioles-Royals wild-card series.

Neither team has been particularly hot lately, but the Orioles have shown what they’re capable of in the first two games of this series (in addition to wearing the Yankees’ number for most of this season).

“It’s not a reminder – no one had to remind me or us that this is a dangerous club,” manager Aaron Boone said.

For most of the year, the Orioles were neck-and-neck with the Yankees at the top of the AL East before Boone’s club got some breathing room in recent weeks.

But the Orioles entered Thursday having outscored the Yankees 61-46 and won three of four series against them.

The Orioles have been rocked by injuries to their rotation this year, and coach Brandon Hyde announced Wednesday that Grayson Rodriguez (who was rehabbing to return for the playoffs) would not pitch again in 2024.

But in a short series, they would still have Corbin Burnes and Zach Eflin to call upon, along with possibly Dean Kremer, who has held the Yankees to five runs over 16²/₃ innings this season.

The Orioles lineup was also banged up for a while, but recently got two key hitters back in first baseman Ryan Mountcastle and All-Star second baseman Jordan Westburg.

And their team speed and athleticism on the bases could cause problems for the Yankees.

“They’ve got a really good team and we’ve got a few games left – hopefully we can compete against them,” Mountcastle told reporters on Wednesday night. “I believe in our guys in this clubhouse and what we can do.”