With four days left in the 2026 regular season, the New York Yankees had their playoff fate sealed after the Tampa Bay Rays clinched the AL East title Tuesday. Currently, the Yankees sit six games ahead of the Boston Red Sox for the first AL wild-card spot. 

New York’s spot is locked, while Boston holds a four-game lead in the second spot. These two teams are now projected to meet in the playoffs for the sixth time in franchise history. New York holds the playoff series record 3-2. 

Before the postseason, four games still stand in the way. For New York, it's one final game against Tampa and three against the Baltimore Orioles.  

There are plenty of questions still swirling around the Yankees, but the playoffs start next Tuesday and these four games are where the Yankees need to focus.  

In 2026, the Yankees pitching staff is one of the best in baseball. The staff leads the MLB with a 3.21 ERA, well ahead of the second-best Milwaukee Brewers (3.53). That's thanks in part to Cam Schlittler and his 1.94 ERA.

Schlittler will look to roll his dominant season into the playoffs. As for the rest of the rotation, Will Warren and Carlos Rodon are scheduled to pitch the first two games against Baltimore, with the finale currently undecided. 

Gerrit Cole made his final start Wednesday, pitching 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out eight and walking three. 

Going into this three-game playoff set, the Yankees are expected to lead off with Schlittler in Game 1. The other two starters become tricky. 

Both Cole and Max Fried would be ready on more than enough rest and Rodon, who is pitching Saturday, would be ready for a potential Game 3 on regular rest. 

All four starters appear ready, but who's been pitching well lately? 

Since the start of September, Cole has struggled, pitching to a 5.08 ERA across five starts. He's allowed six hits per start and nine home runs over that span. 

After two separate IL stints, Fried has been slowly working his way back. In each of his last five starts, Fried has been increasing his pitch count until a 97-pitch performance Tuesday. In that time, he's done well, pitching with a 2.73 ERA and a 0.987 WHIP. 

The final option has made a strong case for himself. In his last four starts, Rodon is 3-0 and has allowed only two earned runs (1.42 ERA) and struck out 28 batters. 

After Schlittler, the options are there, but who deserves the spot on the mound next week?

The answer lies in who the Yankees play, and it's assumed to be Boston. Cole has faced Boston once this year, Fried and Rodon twice. 

In his only start against the Red Sox, Cole allowed four runs on seven hits. Across two starts, Rodon (9.2 IP) allowed two runs on four hits and Fried allowed only one run on six hits (11.2 IP). 

Historically, Cole has struggled against Boston, with a 5.30 ERA across 20 starts. Rodon has done a bit better with a 3.97 ERA across 14 starts, but Fried has been great, with a 1.93 ERA over seven starts. 

On the season, Boston has a slightly higher average on-base and slugging against lefties than they do righties. Does that impact the Yankees' choice?

For now, it seems the Yankees will have Cole in Game 2 and Fried in Game 3 behind Schlittler.