Yankees secretly clinched something very important during weekend sweep in Oakland

The MLB Playoffs can be (sigh, we see you, Billy Beane) unpredictable, and there's nothing that can be earned to absolutely ensure the bounces go your way. Still, the New York Yankees have set themselves up for success in 2024 by doing all that they can to keep the ball in their comfortable court. And, while Brian Snitker and the Braves may disagree, a few extra days' rest could do the Yankees some good as they prepare for what they hope will be a long month of October.

Crucially, the Yankees also earned themselves a subtler advantage over the weekend, something that will make this postseason run different from any other during the Aaron Judge Era. Now, it's on the team to take advantage of the opportunity.

When the Yankees wrapped Sunday's 7-4 victory in Oakland, thanks to a fire-breathing Luke Weaver, they made certain that the tiebreaker they'd earned over the Astros would not be necessary, securing a seven-game lead over their foes in Houston with six games left to play.

Postseason seeding isn't set in stone yet; the Yankees still have plenty left to clinch. Houston, though, seems overwhelmingly likely to be stuck in the No. 3 seed, which would send them into the Wild Card Round before any possible ALDS. Whether the Yankees eventually see them in their first or second matchup of the postseason, Games 1 and 2 of that all-important series will take place at Yankee Stadium. That hasn't been the case entering any postseason since the 2015 winner-take-all Wild Card Game that set these two franchises on an unenviable collision course. Will 2024 be the October where the momentum finally shifts?

Yankees clinch homefield advantage over Houston (while you weren't looking)

Now, these upcoming games won't be played on paper. Regardless of the hostility of the environment, the Yankees will need to translate their regular-season dominance of the Astros (6-1 record, Ben Verlander's brain shattered) to October, something they have not done in the modern era. The Astros know this. The Yankees know this. Both fanbases are well aware. Clinching this edge ensures nothing. Hell, maybe even the two twains will never meet; Houston isn't exactly set for an easy best-of-three matchup in the first round.

It's on the Yankees to make this edge count, but at the very least, one crucial factor will differentiate this fall's data from any other nightmarish Houston series they've played in recent years. Dallas Keuchel's not walking through that door, either (though it might be kinda sick if he did).