Yankees recent playoff history doesn't bode well for World Series chances

After missing the playoffs last year, the New York Yankees are heading back to the World Series for the first time since 2009. For a team with as much history of winning as the Yankees, it became irritating for their fanbase that they have never made it back to the World Series for 15 years. But now, after dispatching the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Guardians in nine total games.

Waiting for them are the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Fall Classic, which is a dream matchup. It will feature Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, and Giancarlo Stanton taking on Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman.

Yankees fans are hoping that this year's team can bring home their 28th World Series title. But recent playoff history is against them.

Yankees postseason history doesn't provide much hope for World Series

The Yankees are set to take on the Dodgers, an NL West team, in the World Series. As Talkin' Baseball points out, the Yankees have not defeated a non-AL Central team in a playoff series since 2012, when the Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles in five games in the ALDS.

For those curious, here is how the Yankees playoff history has looked like since 2012. This obviously isn't counting the one-game Wild Card Round matchups. This is playoff series only.

Since 2012, the Yankees have won six playoff series total against the Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins, and Kansas City Royals. But in between, they have lost five playoff series against the Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, and Tampa Bay Rays.

But their recent history won't matter if they can win the World Series.

This year, the Yankees clinched the No. 1 seed in the American League, and watched their biggest foes in the Astros and Orioles get swept in their Wild Card Series matchups against the Detroit Tigers and Royals, respectively. That, in turn, made their path to a World Series even smoother. While the Guardians did provide a fight, the Yankees rather easily advanced to the World Series in just nine total games played.

The Yankees are not without their flaws. Their baserunning is suspect, their defense can be sloppy, and their bats have a tendency to go cold. Even though they are facing a Dodgers team with a banged up starting rotation, they are perhaps the most patient hitting team in the league. Every at-bat is virtually a hard out.

We'll see if the Dodgers are the first non-AL Central team the Yankees defeat in a playoff series, or if this trend will continue with a defeat.