MLB Standings 2022: New York Yankees Have American League’s Best Record

No American League team has played better than the New York Yankees through the first three weeks of the 2022 MLB season. The Yankees sit atop the AL standings with the league’s best record.

At 13-6, the Yankees are a half-game better than the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels for top spot in the AL. New York’s plus-26 run differential is also the best in the AL.

After a slow start to the 2022 season, the Yankees swept a six-game homestand against the Cleveland Guardians and Baltimore Orioles. New York took two out of three games against the Boston Red Sox to open the season. The Yankees and Blue Jays split a four-game series in the Bronx.

The pitching staff has led the way for the Yankees. New York’s 2.92 ERA is the best in the AL and No. 3 in all of baseball. Ace Gerrit Cole’s 4.00 ERA is actually the worst of any pitcher in the rotation. Nestor Cortes leads the way with 25 strikeouts and a 1.15 ERA in 15.2 innings. Jordan Montgomery, Luis Severino and Jameson Taillon all have an ERA below 3.33.

The Yankees’ offense got off to a slow start after a disappointing 2021 campaign. The team’s hitters performed much better during the recent homestand. New York is now up to third in runs scored in the AL with the league’s second-best OPS.

Anthony Rizzo is first in MLB with eight home runs. DJ LeMahieu leads the team with a .312 batting average. Aaron Judge has five home runs and a .945 OPS.

The AL East had been viewed as MLB’s best division heading into the season. The Blue Jays are the AL betting favorites and expected to compete for first place all season long. The Tampa Bay Rays are in third place, trailing the Yankees by two games in the division.

Boston is in fourth place and 5.5 games behind New York. The Red Sox beat the Yankees in the 2021 AL Wild-Card Game.

With an upcoming three-game series against the 7-10 Kansas City Royals, the Yankees have a good chance to extend their winning streak. New York starts next week with a key three-game set in Toronto.

The Yankees are currently in line to get one of the two first-round byes under MLB’s new playoff format. New York hasn’t reached the World Series since 2009.

The Yankees have the highest payroll in the AL. Only the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers have spent more money on their rosters than the Yankees.