What to know about the Rays' playoff series against the Yankees

The big picture: A postseason run by the Rays means bonus baseball for fans and businesses in St. Pete, as the team charges ahead with plans to relocate across the bay.

• This postseason also comes as labor unrest looms over MLB, leaving some or all of next season in doubt.

How they got here: The Rays leaned on hallmarks of the franchise at its best, playing good defense with strong starting pitching and clutch hitting — the best in the league with runners on second or third base, per ESPN.

• All-Star pitchers Drew Rasmussen and Nick Martinez anchor a strong rotation.
• Add in superstar Junior Caminero and his 42 home runs and you've got a recipe for a contender.

Meet the enemy: The Yankees' best player, superstar outfielder Aaron Judge, missed the Wild Card round with an injury, and his health for the divisional round is unclear.

• But the Yankees are dangerous even without him, as the vanquished Red Sox just found out.
• A pair of young stars, Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice, are among the game's rising talents and played well against Boston.

Crystal ball: The Yankees win in 55% of ESPN's simulations of the series. Gambling sites have the series as basically a toss-up.

How to watch: The series begins at 6:30pm Saturday, airing on TBS and truTV.

• Tickets were starting at about $165 on Thursday afternoon.