The Yankees face the Royals in the ALDS after defeating the Orioles

What was once a regular October occurrence is back after more than four decades as the Yankees will face the Royals in the postseason for the first time since 1980.

Kansas City advanced to the ALDS with a win over the Orioles in the wild-card round and closed out play with a 2-1 win at Baltimore on Wednesday.

Now the Yankees are looking for more playoff success against the franchise they faced four times in the five years from 1976 to 1980, with the Yankees winning three of those series.

But instead of Reggie Jackson and George Brett facing off, the series will revolve around the front-runners for AL MVP in Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt, Jr.

Judge hit another run, surpassing the AL home run record he set two years ago, and finished the season with 58.

Witt, the 24-year-old shortstop in his third season in the majors, prevented Judge from winning the Triple Crown by leading the AL with a .332 batting average.

The Yankees' comeback after a disappointing 2023 season in which they missed the playoffs hardly compares to the turnaround in Kansas City.

The Royals lost 106 games a year ago and were a threat to win the AL Central this season before losing seven games from late August to early September.

A second seven-game elimination followed later in September that nearly derailed their season, but the Royals did enough to return to the playoffs for the first time since defeating the Mets and winning the 2015 World Series.

Given the opportunity Tuesday to say which team he would rather play in the ALDS, Aaron Boone declined to choose between the Royals and Orioles.

“I always pay attention to what you want,” the manager said before Yankees practice in the Bronx. “I tell the coaches that all the time. We might be in June and watching a game and you're watching a division rival play another team and you're pulling for another team. I'm thinking, 'Hey, be careful what you wish for.' This team could knock us out.' That's why I always say: “Let it play out, we prepare as best we can for whoever comes our way.” ”

Now they know this is the team they have beaten five out of seven times this season.

The Yankees defeated the Royals at Kauffman Stadium in June before the teams split a four-game series in the Bronx last month.

Oddly enough, these were the only two games the Royals lost in a span of nine games in an otherwise pretty ugly month.

With an offense led by Witt and veteran catcher Salvador Perez – the only remaining player from the 2015 championship team – and a rotation that includes Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans, Kansas City will look to overcome its relative lack of postseason experience.

And their manager, Matt Quatraro, is in his second year in the Kansas City dugout after five years with Kevin Cash's team in Tampa Bay.

Now, a year after finishing last, the Royals get a shot at the Yankees.