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By defeating the Boston Red Sox Wednesday night the New York Yankees won the American League East title, avoiding the newly-created one-game wild-card playoff gauntlet that the Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles have to face Friday night (8:37 p.m. ET, TBS).
Instead, the Yankees get to rest and set their pitching rotation for the American League Division Series, which will begin Sunday for the Yankees on the road against the winner of Friday's Baltimore-Texas play-in game.
"It was important for us to stay in first place," Derek Jeter said. "It was important for us to win the division. You have the Wild Card to fall back on, but we didn't really look at it that way. We wanted to win the division from the get-go."
Here is the Yankees' complete ALDS schedule:
AL Division Series - New York Yankees vs. Orioles/Rangers
Game 1 - Sunday, Oct. 7 at Baltimore/Texas
Game 2 - Monday, Oct. 8 at Baltimore/Texas
Game 3 - Wednesday, Oct. 10 at New York
Game 4 (if necessary) - Thursday, Oct. 11 at New York
Game 5 (if necessary) - Friday, Oct. 12 at New York