The 2026 American League Division Series (ALDS) is the two best-of-five playoff series in Major League Baseball (MLB) to determine the participating teams of the 2026 American League Championship Series (ALCS). These matchups are:
(1) Tampa Bay Rays (AL East champions) vs. (4) New York Yankees (Wild Card Series winner) (2) Cleveland Guardians (AL Central champions) vs. (6) Chicago White Sox (Wild Card Series winner)
The team with the better regular season record (higher seed) of each series hosted Games 1, 2, and (if necessary) 5, while the lower-seeded team hosted Game 3 and (if necessary) 4.
Background
The top two division winners (first two seeds) are determined by regular season winning percentages. The final two teams are the winner of the American League Wild Card Series, played between the league's third to sixth-seeded teams.
In their return season to Tropicana Field after roof damage from Hurricane Milton, the Tampa Bay Rays () clinched their first postseason berth since 2023 on September 11 after third baseman Junior Caminero hit a walk-off two-run home run against the Houston Astros for a 3–1 victory. They won their fifth American League East in franchise history, a first-round bye, and home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs in the second half of a doubleheader against the New York Yankees on September 22. This is their sixth postseason appearance in the last eight seasons (2019–2023, 2026). They will play against the fourth seed New York Yankees (), who clinched their tenth postseason berth in the last twelve seasons (2015, 2017–2022, 2024–2026) on September 14 and defeated their rivals, the Boston Red Sox, in a two-game sweep in the American League Wild Card Series. This will mark the second postseason meeting between the Rays and Yankees, following the 2020 ALDS, which was won by the Rays in five games. Tampa Bay won and close the season series against New York, 7–6, with just three runs separating the AL East division rivals.
The Cleveland Guardians () clinched a postseason berth on September 24 via a 1–0 road victory against the Boston Red Sox, and won their third straight American League Central division title and first-round bye and second seed on September 26 when they beat the Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox lost to the Colorado Rockies. Like last season, the Guardians staged a dramatic season turnaround in a division in late August and September, overtaking the incumbent Chicago White Sox on the last week and a half of the season. This is Cleveland's eighth postseason appearance in the last 11 seasons (2016–2018, 2020, 2022, 2024–2026). The Chicago White Sox () qualified for the postseason as the sixth seed wild card entrant on September 24; they then swept the Houston Astros in two games in the Wild Card Series to advance to the Division Series for the first time since 2021, which they were defeated by the same opponent in four games. This division series will mark the first postseason meeting between the Guardians and the White Sox. Chicago won the regular season series 7–6 against Cleveland, with just one run separating the AL Central rivals and four walk-offs occurring during their contest.
Matchups Tampa Bay Rays vs. New York Yankees
If necessary
Cleveland Guardians vs. Chicago White Sox
If necessary
Tampa Bay vs. New York This is the second postseason meeting between the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees. Their first meeting occurred during the 2020 American League Division Series, which was played enitely at Petco Park due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was won by Tampa Bay in five games.
Game 1
In the bottom of the third inning, Jonathan Aranda hit a solo home run off Gerrit Cole to get the Rays on the board 1–0. Cole, otherwise, pitched five innings, surrendering four other hits while striking out five. Ryan Weathers made his first appearance in relief, having not pitched since August 22, in a scoreless sixth, with the typical Yankees 2026 relievers, Paul Blackburn and Brent Headrick, pitching the other innings. In the top of the eighth inning with two outs, Austin Wells broke up Drew Rasmussen's no-hitter attempt with a double before being thrown out at third trying to stretch it into a triple. Rasmussen held the Yankees scoreless throughout eight innings, striking out ten batters over 101 pitches. Bryan Baker held the ninth inning scoreless with a one-run lead for a save, including striking out Giancarlo Stanton, who hit for the first time since April 24, to give the Rays a 1–0 series lead.
This was the first time in franchise history the Yankees had one hit or fewer in a postseason game.
Game 2
In the bottom of the first inning, a Ryan McMahon error allowed Yandy Díaz to reach first, followed by a Jonathan Aranda single. Junior Caminero grounded into a force out at second, but Jazz Chisholm Jr. threw the potential double play ball away, allowing Díaz to score the game's opening run for the Rays. Combined with a catcher's interference call against Austin Wells, the Yankees committed three errors in that single half-inning. The Yankees bounced back in the top of the fourth when Ben Rice hit a solo home run—his first of the series—to tie the game at 1–1.
Rays starting pitcher Freddy Peralta was replaced by Cam Booser in the top of the fifth after giving up a walk and a double with two outs. However, the Yankees failed to capitalize, leaving three runners stranded after Cody Bellinger flew out to deep center field. The Rays reclaimed the lead at 2–1 in the bottom of the fifth when Jonathan Aranda scored on an RBI fielder's choice by Liam Hicks following another defensive miscue. Junior Caminero then scored on an RBI infield single by Chandler Simpson (originally ruled an error on George Lombard Jr., but later changed to a fielder's choice), stretching the lead to 3–1 and chasing Yankees starter Cam Schlittler from the game in favor of Brent Headrick. Making his first career postseason start on the road, Schlittler pitched innings, allowing seven hits and four runs (two earned) with two walks and two strikeouts. Following yet another error, this time charged to George Lombard Jr., the Rays blew the game open with two more runs in the inning when Richie Palacios hit an RBI single to bring home Jonny DeLuca and Chandler Simpson, making it 5–1.
In the top of the eighth, Ben Rice connected for his second solo home run of the game, trimming the Yankees' deficit to 5–2. Cam Booser earned the win after throwing just eight pitches for the Rays, while Bryan Baker pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up the save.
Game 3
Cleveland vs. Chicago This is the first postseason meeting between the Cleveland Guardians and the Chicago White Sox.
Game 1
In the top of the fourth inning, Munetaka Murakami hit a two-run home run off Parker Messick—scoring Miguel Vargas ahead of him—to put the White Sox ahead 2–0. In the top of the seventh, Colson Montgomery drove in Kyle Teel with an RBI double, extending the White Sox's lead to 3–0. Grant Taylor then struck out the final four batters to secure the series-opening victory for the Pale Hose. The win marked the White Sox's first postseason shutout since Game 4 of the 2005 World Series.
Game 2
Cleveland opened the scoring in Game 2 in the bottom of the first inning when Steven Kwan and José Ramírez both scored on a throwing error by White Sox pitcher Sean Newcomb, giving the Guardians an early 2–0 lead. The White Sox opened the game with Anthony Kay, who recorded only one out while allowing one hit, two runs (one earned), and one walk.
The White Sox scored their first run in the top of the fourth inning when Kyle Teel came home on an RBI single by Munetaka Murakami, cutting the deficit to one. Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams pitched five innings, allowing four hits and two runs while striking out 11 batters. The White Sox took the lead in the top of the sixth when Braden Montgomery hit a two-run double, followed by an RBI single from Chase Meidroth that scored Montgomery and widened the White Sox's lead to 4–2.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Chase DeLauter scored on an RBI triple by Jo Adell, cutting the deficit back to a single run. Sean Burke pitched innings, yielding just one hit and one run while striking out six batters, and Grant Taylor earned the save.
Game 3
The White Sox opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning when Sam Antonacci scored off a Kyle Teel double into right field, giving Chicago an early 1–0 lead. Daniel Espino opened the game for the Guardians, faced five hitters and recorded only two outs. Espino gave up two hits, one run, and struck out two.
Sean Newcomb opened the game for the White Sox and pitched two innings, giving up one hit and no runs while striking out a batter. The Guardians scored in the top of the third inning to tie the game 1–1, when Travis Bazzana scored on an RBI single by Steven Kwan. Later in the third, the Guardians would take the lead when Jo Adell's triple cleared the bases scoring Kwan, José Ramírez, and Chase DeLauter, giving them a 4–1 lead. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Chase Meidroth scored on an RBI double by Tristan Peters, cutting the White Sox deficit to 4–2.
In the visitor's half of the fifth, DeLauter's RBI fielder's choice scored Ramírez, extending the lead to 5–2. The White Sox loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth inning and Braden Montgomery scored when Antonacci was hit by a pitch, cutting the White Sox deficit to 5–3. The Guardians added two more runs in the top of the eighth inning when Ramírez hit an RBI triple to score Travis Bazzana and Patrick Bailey, extending their lead to 7–3.
The Guardians continued to add to their lead in the top of the ninth with an RBI double by Ángel Genao that scored Nathaniel Lowe and an RBI single by Brayan Rocchio to score Petey Halpin for a 9–3 advantage. Cade Smith pitched two scoreless innings to end the game, giving up no hits and striking out five batters to help the Guardians force a game four.
Game 4
See also 2026 National League Division Series
References
External links Major League Baseball postseason schedule