Juan Soto Unconcerned About The Battle For The AL East Title

One New York Yankees player is not overly concerned about the current American League standings.

Reporters asked Juan Soto after Tuesday’s 5-0 loss to the Kansas City Royals about the Yankees’ race for first place in the AL East.

"We're really focused on what we can do here,” the slugger said. “We're trying to win games and that's all that matters now."

“We’ve been playing really good baseball all year long, we just got to keep doing the same thing, try to relax,” he also added.

Related: New York Yankees Shutout In Tuesday Loss To Kansas City Royals

The two teams are separated by 0.5 games heading into Wednesday. The Yankees are tied with the Cleveland Guardians for the best record in the American League as both teams are 83-62. The Orioles have one additional loss to their record. They hold a three-game lead over the Royals for the top Wild Card spot.

The division winner would likely earn a bye for the first round of the playoffs while the second-place team would currently face off against the AL West-winning Houston Astros.

The Orioles are the reigning division champions while the Yankees finished in fourth place in 2023. The Bronx Bombers won the AL East and the Orioles finished fourth in 2022.

The Yankees and Orioles play a three-game series at Yankee Stadium before the final weekend of the season. The two teams have met 10 times this season. The Orioles have won six of the matchups and have outscored the Bronx Bombers 47-36 in those games.

Related: New York Yankees Surpass Their 2023 Win Total With Latest Victory

The Yankees wrap up their series on Wednesday night against the Royals.

Casey Fahrer is a recent graduate from Syracuse University and a contributor to Inside The Pinstripes. He can be reached at caseyfahrer716@gmail.com.

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