Aaron Judge spoke with Adley Rutschman at the plate during Tuesday’s game as he turned his attention to the not-too-distant future.

“We’ll probably see you later down the road,” Judge told the Orioles catcher.

In case thirteen regular-season games weren’t enough — with the Orioles holding an 8-4 lead entering Thursday’s finale — the Yankees might just see their AL East foes again in the postseason, depending on how the final days and the wildcard go. series takes place.

Had the season ended after Wednesday, the Yankees would have bowed out of the ALDS and faced the winner of the Orioles-Royals wild-card series.

Neither team has been particularly popular lately, but the Orioles reminded us during the first two games of this series what they are capable of (in addition to having the Yankees’ number for the most part this season).

“It’s not a reminder. Nobody had to remind me or us that this is a dangerous club,” manager Aaron Boone said.

For most of the year, the Orioles were neck-and-neck with the Yankees at the top of the AL East before Boone’s club created some breathing room in recent weeks.

But the Orioles entered Thursday having defeated the Yankees 61-46 and won three of the four series against them.

The Orioles have been crushed by injuries in their rotation this year, with manager Brandon Hyde announcing Wednesday that Grayson Rodriguez (who has been rehabbing in an attempt to return for the playoffs) would not pitch again in 2024.

But in a short series, they could still rely on Corbin Burnes and Zach Eflin, along with possibly Dean Kremer, who has held the Yankees to five runs in 16 ²/₃ innings this season.

The Orioles lineup was also beat up for a while, but they recently got two key bats back in first baseman Ryan Mountcastle and All-Star second baseman Jordan Westburg.

And their team speed and athleticism on the bases could cause the Yankees problems.

“They’ve got a really good team and we’ve still got a few games in front of us. Hopefully we can come up against them,” Mountcastle told reporters on Wednesday evening. “I believe in our guys in this clubhouse and what we can do.”