The AL East takes center stage as the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays face off in the American League Division Series.
For all the familiarity the Rays and Yankees have during the regular season, this is only the second time they have faced off in the postseason. The first time being in the 2020 ALDS, but the major caveat to that matchup was that all the games were played at Petco Park in San Diego as part of MLB’s pandemic-era neutral-site postseason. It’s going to be a totally different atmosphere in front of home crowds in Tampa Bay and New York.
Here’s everything you need to know about the series:
When is the Yankees vs. Rays 2026 MLB Division Series?
The Yankees and Rays begin a best-of-five series on Saturday, October 3.
How to watch Yankees vs. Rays: TV channel, live stream
The entire 2026 Yankees-Rays ALDS will be nationally televised on TBS and truTV, with HBO Max providing the live stream. Spanish-language coverage is available on UniMás.
Yankees vs. Rays 2026 MLB Division Series full schedule
| Game | Date | Location | Time |
| Game 1 | Sat., Oct. 3 | at Tampa Bay | 6:30 PM |
| Game 2 | Mon., Oct. 5 | at Tampa Bay | 8:00 PM |
| Game 3 | Wed., Oct. 7 | Yankee Stadium | 8:00 PM |
| Game 4* | Thu., Oct. 8 | Yankee Stadium | 8:00 PM |
| Game 5* | Sat., Oct. 10 | at Tampa Bay | 8:00 PM |
Where will the Yankees vs. Rays Division Series be played?
The 2026 Yankees vs. Rays AL Division Series will be played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida for Games 1, 2, and 5 (if necessary), and Yankee Stadium in the Bronx for Games 3, 4 (if necessary). Tampa Bay has home-field advantage.
Yankees vs. Rays probable starting pitchers
The only confirmed probable starters are for Game 1. That will be Yankees’ Gerrit Cole facing off against Rays’ Drew Rasmussen.
The Yankees are expected to throw Cy Young-favorite Cam Schlittler in Game 2, but the Rays’ starter is still TBD.
Yankees vs. Rays 2026 season series results
The Rays won the 2026 regular-season series against the Yankees, 7–6, but New York finished strong, winning four of the final five meetings.
Yankees vs. Rays playoff history
The 2026 ALDS is only the second postseason series ever between the Yankees and Rays. Tampa Bay won their only previous meeting, so the Rays enter this series with a 1–0 postseason series advantage over New York.
How does the MLB Division Series format work?
There are four Division Series—two in each league. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds receive byes through the Wild Card Series, while the winners of the two best-of-three Wild Card Series advance to face them in the Division Series.
For Yankees-Rays in 2026, that means Tampa Bay, as the higher seed, hosts Games 1 and 2, New York hosts Games 3 and 4 (if necessary), and the series returns to Tampa Bay for Game 5 (if necessary).
There is no reseeding after the Wild Card round; the postseason bracket determines which Wild Card winner faces each division winner.
