USA Today | Pete Caldera: The Yankees officially made it back to the ALCS on Thursday, earning a 3-1 series victory over the Royals secured. The offense as a whole has looked pretty lackluster throughout the series, but they’ve been consistent with the three mentioned and Aaron Judge seemed to come out of his slumber with a double and a walk, which bodes extremely well heading into the longer one Championship Series could be.

MLB.com | Ian Browne: While they were mostly just on their way to victory in Game 4, there was an exciting inning for New York. In the sixth inning, Anthony Volpe gave Maikel Garcia a hard tag at second base to complete a 3-6 double play, and the two then exchanged a few looks before Volpe patted him on the shoulder to keep going. Garcia stuck around and then got into a war of words with third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., who was a bit outspoken in his team’s defense this series, which led to more tension.

Eventually both benches cleared but nothing came of it, but it may have thrown Cole’s rhythm off for a moment as the Royals scored back-to-back goals and then ran the game alone. Cole calmed down to end the frame and then end the seventh, but who knows how it would have gone if tempers hadn’t flared a little.

NY Post | Jon Heyman: Rumors that the Yankees would not offer Juan Soto a higher annual salary than Aaron Judge were put to rest yesterday when Heyman reported that a cap on Soto’s AAV had not been discussed, according to team sources. It’ll take an incredible deal to keep Soto in pinstripes beyond this season, but stepping on Judge’s toes in the process won’t be a problem. Additionally, expect these contract rumors to surface more and more even if the Yankees are still in the postseason hunt, as the majority of teams are now entering the offseason phase.

NY Daily News | Gary Phillips ($): Hurricane Milton has hit Florida, the second such devastating hurricane to hit the area in a week. The Yankees have strong ties to the state and the destruction it brought weighed on several players ahead of their Game 3 clash with the Royals. The Yankees also set up their minor league complex in Florida and flew their postseason-eligible talent south to New York to stay warm to avoid the dangerous storm. In the larger baseball world, Milton also tore down the roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Rays, leaving it completely exposed to the elements, although fortunately no one was injured as the building sustained significant damage.