{
  "id": 9250985,
  "title": "Rays clinch AL East crown after Yankees secure home field advantage for Wild Card round",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/rays-clinch-al-east-crown-after-yankees-secure-home-field-advantage",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-23T02:38:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/rays-clinch-al-east-crown-023800598.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Tampa Bay Rays clinched the American League East title and secured a Wild Card round home field advantage after the New York Yankees faced a difficult playoff scenario. The Yankees, burdened by injuries throughout the season, missed out on a division title for the second consecutive year. Despite being the richer team due to their higher luxury tax payroll, the Rays defeated the Yankees 6-1 in the second game of a doubleheader on Tuesday. This victory ensured the Rays' postseason berth, while the Yankees finished the season with a 90-67 record, six games behind the Rays with five games remaining. The Yankees will now have home field advantage in the Wild Card round, which begins on September 29, likely facing the Red Sox in a potential rematch. Yankees manager Aaron Boone acknowledged the Rays' strong season, noting their 96-61 record as one of the best in the league. This outcome contrasts with the Yankees' previous experience, as they lost the 2025 season series to the Rays and their only AL East title came in 2024. The team has only won the division three times since 2013 and hasn't won a championship since 2009.",
  "summary": "When the Yankees retained a large chunk of their 2025 roster, they didn’t think they’d end up starting the 2026 playoffs in the same position that they did last year. Alas, the second-place Bombers, burdened by injuries all season, officially missed out on a division title for the second straight season, as Tampa Bay secured the American League East and a postseason bye with a 6-1 win in the ...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Rays news: Drew Rasmussen has perfect reaction to winning AL East",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/rays-news-drew-rasmussen-has-perfect-reaction-to-winning-al-east",
        "published": "2026-09-23T04:42:22.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}