The American League East: Baseball's most thrilling division

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Aaron Judge, blending power hitting with stellar fielding. Judge is poised to be a driving force in the AL East race.

The 2024 Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season comes to an end in the coming weeks. As October steadily approaches, teams are racing to win their division and clinch their spot in the playoffs. While most of the divisional races are wrapped-up, this is not the case for the, often, hotly contested American League (AL) East. From Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, the Baltimore Orioles trail the New York Yankees for the top spot in their division by a mere 2.5 games. You also cannot forget about the Boston Red Sox, who almost always seem to make things interesting toward the season’s end. Before the AL East draws to a close, we will break down how each team is faring going to the final stretch of the season. 

New York Yankees

The Yankees seem to be hitting their stride at the perfect time of the season. After almost two full months of mediocre baseball, there were a lot of question marks surrounding the team’s lineup. Most notably, a majority of the Yankees lineup struggled throughout these past two months, including Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo, infielder Gleyber Torres, and utilityman DJ Lemahieu. There was also a major concern with the first base position after veteran first baseman Anthony Rizzo went down with a broken arm, leaving Ben Rice to take his place in the lineup while Rizzo heals. 

It began to turn around for the Yanks when they acquired young star Jazz Chisholm Jr. during the MLB’s trade deadline. Chisholm Jr. has brought some depth to an extremely top-heavy Yankees lineup, featuring two of baseball's biggest stars, outfielders Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. Combine that with catcher Austin Wells having a fantastic rookie season, plus slugger Giancarlo Stanton coming off the injured list, and the Yankees are in prime position to claim their second division title in the last three years. 

Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles are fresh off a tremendous season, capturing their first division title in nine years. The pep in their step could definitely be seen as they started strong in the early season. As it stands currently, though, the Orioles have had an under .500 winning percentage since June. Their lineup has not been the issue, as the team is top five in the league in several major offensive categories, including on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS), on-base percentage (OBP), and home runs. 

The young and talented Orioles had a lot of expectations heading into the 2024 season, led by superstar second baseman Gunnar Henderson and stud catcher Adley Rutschman. Despite their immense young talent, the Orioles’ bullpen has notably struggled. The O’s have a 4.08 team bullpen earned run average (ERA), ranking 11th to last in the MLB overall. Most notably, veteran closer Craig Kimbrel has faced much criticism this season thanks to his mediocre 4.35 ERA and six blown saves. The Orioles bullpen will have to turn it around if they want to catch the Yankees down in the race to the end.

Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox have been one of the most perplexing teams the MLB has seen this season. At times, they have looked like a bonafide playoff team, but they currently sit at a .500 winning percentage with just a few weeks left of the season. They have had several stand-out individual performances, such as outfielder Jarren Duran’s breakout all-star season and veteran third baseman Rafael Devers’s once-again incredible performance. 

The Sox have also had great performances from two young rookies, shortstop Cedanne Rafalea and outfielder Wilyer Abreu. Rafaela has dazzled with the glove and has had several memorable hits throughout the season, although Abreu has been even better with the bat. Abreu even stands as a strong contender for the AL Rookie of the Year. The Red Sox’s pitching, however, has been mediocre all season. Their team ERA of 4.12, ranks eighteenth in the league. The Sox’s chances to win the division are still all but over, as they have a shot at making the wild card if their stars keep playing to their standards. 

Year in and year out, the AL East always seems to be one of the most compelling and competitive divisions in baseball. Each team in the division is star-studded, and when they lock horns, it is always guaranteed to be entertaining. This year seems to be no different, and no matter what happens down the final stretch of this season, it will no doubt be a memorable and exciting finish in the MLB's most thrilling division.