The series of the year gets going on September 10th, as the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays engage in a four-day affair that very well could decide the AL East division. Toronto stands 1.5 games ahead of the Yanks. Regardless, this four-game run could be precisely what changes everything for either team and could be the Yankees and/or Jays series to hit up for fans as the regular season winds down.

Despite this being an enormous series for both teams, Yankees tickets are actually showing tremendous value for all four games. New York Yankees tickets on the secondary market are over $129 on average to end the 2015 MLB season, yet none of these four clashes come close to even $100 on average. In fact, the most expensive game is game three on the 12th, when fans can pile into Yankee Stadium for this division rivalry for an average price of $91.25.

The value strings across this series from start to finish, too, with game one costing just $77.70 on average, while game two and the series finale (game four) both hover right around $83. Even crazier is the get-in price for each game, as the first two games have fans hitting the cheap seats for just $15, while the next two games are $17 and $18 to get in the door, respectively. If all of that value wasn’t enough, Toronto fans will be pleased to learn it’s not all about the Yanks, as Blue Jays tickets also drop way down for this series (usually right around $126 on average for the rest of the year).

This series carries even more value when you look ahead to the a late-season series between these two squads (Sep. 21-23) in Toronto. Sure, it’s entirely possible (if not downright likely) that the series two weeks from now will be more intense, but even if that’s the case, all three of those games are priced out over $205 on average. That gives fans huge savings to see the same exact series live this week, and with the ramifications just as important. Fans looking to attend either of these series can find the best travel and hotels deals via Hipmunk.com, which lists accommodations ranging from five-star hotels to AirBnB availability.

While the value is obvious for this week, the winner is not. The Blue Jays and Yankees have been fighting back and forth for the top spot in the AL East for the past month and both have really been in the mix for the division all year long. Toronto really put their foot on the gas when they swung trades for Troy Tulowitzki and David Price, however, and suddenly are quite the formidable roadblock as New York tries to win the division and punch their ticket into the 2015 MLB playoffs.

The reality is both teams boast elite offenses, and aside from Price in Toronto, neither has a defense they can routinely hang their hat on. It doesn’t get much more obvious than a look back at the meetings between these two already this year, as Toronto holds an 8-4 season series edge. The reason? Offense. Toronto lived up to their potent offense in the prior 2015 meetings, dropping a whopping 43 runs on the Yanks, while only giving up 26. If the Yankees want to give the AL East title a serious go, their offense will need to show up. There’s no guarantee that happens, but it’s beyond clear that this series is hyped up for a reason: because the offensive potential is through the roof and there just aren’t many series that carry more weight.

It doesn’t get much more intense for the New York Yankees than the month of September. Trailing the rival Toronto Blue Jays by 1.5 games in the AL East, the Bronx Bombers have almost no room for error as they try to lock up a division title and give the World Series another go. Much like those pesky Jays, the Yankees have gotten to this point largely thanks to their potent offense, but whether or not they can secure the division and make a deep playoff run may come down to their uneven starting pitching.

With so much on the line, no one in New York should be surprised tickets to see the Yankees stand to spike a bit in September. Even with that being the case, fans can still find themselves some solid bargains. Let’s take a look at what kind of value can be had next month as we break down the cheapest and most expensive games for the Yanks in September:

Cheapest – 9/8/2015 vs. Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium | Avg: $71.02 | Primary get-in: $20

While they currently sit 11 games back of first-place in the AL East, the Orioles are certainly a team that cannot be taken lightly, possessing one of the more potent lineups in the league. Furthermore, they are the reigning division champs and will do everything they can in trying to successfully defend their title. That’s just one fragment of the value to be seen in New York’s cheapest game of September, as this is obviously a huge rivalry clash with playoff implications.

For Baltimore, even if they’re out of the running for the division at this point in September, they’re still hovering around the Wild Card hunt as well. Every game and series is crucial for the Yanks down the stretch, and as a result, this particular meeting with the O’s should be as important as any.

The best part is this game screams value at just over $71 on average, while anyone can get in the door for $20 via primary tickets on Ticketmaster. New York holds the edge on the year, being 8-3 in the season series up to this point. At the same time, the Orioles have actually outscored them, 62-59, in those 13 ballgames, which could make this a very competitive series, just as it usually is when the Yanks and O’s get together. Baltimore boasts some truly dangerous bats, particular the likes of Adam Jones, Manny Machado, and Chris Davis, that can contend with any opposing pitching. Not only should this particular affair be close, but fans will get even more value thanks to this being Old School Pennant Night.

Most Expensive – 9/19/2015 at New York Mets at Citi Field | Avg: $322.71 | Secondary get-in: $81

The Subway Series is baseball’s battle of New York, and this year it is bigger than ever with both the Mets and Yankees fighting for the top spot in their respective divisions. The Mets severely upgraded their offense around the trade deadline, and to go with their elite starting pitching, have created quite the pad for first in the NL East. They might only be more explosive from here on out after getting longtime Mets third baseman David Wright back from injury. The Yankees, of course, have their own significant firepower, led by Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and Brett Gardner, but we’ll see if their sometimes inconsistent pitching can keep up with the likes of Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard and/or Jacob deGrom on the road. Fortunately for the Yanks, their own pitching has come on as of late, with improved showings lately from Masahiro Tanaka, Nathan Eovaldi, and Ivan Nova, all of whom appear to be hitting their stride at the right time.

All of this adds up to offer up the most expensive game of September — and by a wide margin. Mets tickets are below $100 on average to close out the year, but despite that being known, this game climbs a staggering $322.71 over that average. It’s just as crazy for Yankees tickets, which average out around $121 to finish the regular season. This is a pricey game, to be sure, but it’s magnitude can’t be underplayed. The good news for Yankees fans is that their club did take a series from the Mets earlier in the year way back in April, when the Bombers took two of three at Yankee Stadium. Either way, fans from both sides are in for quite a show, especially since this game includes a cool Thundersticks Giveaway and has so many playoff implications for both squads. The average price is hard to take in, but at least fans can stomach the get-in tag, with the cheap seats being a very affordable $81.

A week ago, the New York Yankees lost their stronghold on the AL East. Now, they’ve got it back. That touch-and-go status atop one of the most competitive divisions in all of baseball will probably stick around, too, since the surging Toronto Blue Jays are just 1.5 games back and remain one of the hottest, not to mention most dangerous, teams in the American League.

Toronto isn’t the only team giving the Yanks a run for their money inside the division, which is all the more reason for New York to piece together a hot run without looking back. Thanks to a recent run of their own, the Baltimore Orioles are also just five games out of first, and even the Tampa Bay Rays were just 6.5 games out earlier in the week. Suffice to say, the home stretch is bound to be a wild one for the Bronx Bombers, making New York Yankees tickets an extremely hot item as the season soon enters its final month.

On top of their division title and playoff prospects, New York is force-feeding fans value on a regular basis at Yankee Stadium, and that should only continue with Jacoby Ellsbury Bobblehead Night when the Houston Astros come into town on Monday, August 24. When these two contenders collide, there will certainly be playoff implications, making it all the more of a tremendous bargain when this series-opening showdown gets underway. After all, Major League teams only give out a select number of bobbleheads commemorating their best and most celebrated players, and the Ellsbury offering happens to be one of the last of the season provided by the Yankees.

The first 18,000 guests get their hands on a Jacoby Ellsbury bobblehead, and then get to enjoy two powerful teams battle. Both Houston and New York have scored a healthy number of runs this season, and with Yankee Stadium being the perfect stage for an offensive explosion, the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Carlos Correa, and Jose Altuve could break out in a big way. The man of the night, Ellsbury, is also more than capable of churning out his own significant production, and may be extra tempted to do so on the night he is being honored with his first-ever bobblehead as a member of the Yankees.

Regardless of how the game goes down, fans from both sides are in for a major value, with Yankees tickets for game one of this three-game series averaging out at just $88.83 on TiqIQ. If that wasn’t good enough, fans can hit the cheap seats starting at $20 on Yankees.com and if they arrive to Yankee Stadium early enough, they’ll also get the desired Yankees collectible giveaway. Without question, it’s one of the best deals going down at Yankee Stadium left in the slate, and is certainly the game worth catching before August comes to a conclusion.

With the season starting to wind down, the Yankees need every win they can get to make sure they can stave off the pesky Jays and Orioles in the AL East. And while they do it, fans can continue to take advantage of the great promotional items being distributed at Yankee Stadium.

There might not be a bigger series in the immediate future for the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays than the one that has the two AL East rivals facing off on August 7. New York has ridden an elite offense to the top of the division through the first half of the 2015 MLB season, but Toronto rests just 4.5 games back with an even better offense, based on the amount of runs scored by both clubs this season. When the two get together at Yankee Stadium for a three-game set this week, the aftermath could point to an eventual division winner.

There is naturally a ton on the line in this mammoth-sized clash, while bad rivalry blood and explosive offenses also add to the allure. If that wasn’t enough, the pure value of Yankees tickets in this particular matchup shoots this series through the roof when it comes to fans getting serious bang for their buck, with no games coming in at over $79 on average. Compared to the average Yankees ticket for the rest of the year (over $171), the discount is quite clear on the secondary market. On the primary market, all three games this series have discounts available for MasterCard card holders buying on Yankees.com.

The beauty of any matchup at Yankee Stadium is that power can always come in heavy doses. Combine the forces of two of the league’s most potent offenses, and fans could be in for a downright dirty pairing. Game one ($75.66 on average, $21 to get in) definitely rolls with that theme, as R.A. Dickey takes the mound for the Jays. Dickey has actually been quite good as of late, as the 40-year old knuckleballer has been fairly stingy in improving his overall numbers compared to where they stood earlier in the season. Keeping that up in Yankee Stadium won’t be easy, though, especially when he’s going up against big bats like Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez, both of whom own home runs opposing the right-hander.

If Toronto stifles the Yanks in the opener, the pinstripes might be in even more trouble come game two ($73.45 on average, $21 for the cheap seats), when they go up against familiar foe and former American League Cy Young award winner David Price. Toronto recently padded their pitching rotation with the elite arm and Price answered with a dominant debut against the Twins. Price will have to especially watch out for Brian McCann and Teixeira in this one, as both hitters own three career home runs off the staff ace.

Game three wraps this series up in style ($78.36, $21 to get in) with Marco Estrada slinging pitches to home plate. If the first two games don’t go as planned for the Yanks, this one is sure to, as Estrada offers up major power connection on his pitches. Estrada has followed suit of Dickey and Price with strong play as of late, but has still had some trouble with getting New York’s better bats out and could be primed for a letdown at Yankee Stadium.

The writing on the wall is evident: this isn’t a series the Yankees can afford to lose. Toronto was active on the trade market by acquiring Troy Tulowitzki to beef up a league-leading offense and Price to bolster their sluggish pitching rotation. Now fully equipped to take over the AL East, the Blue Jays will try to use this week’s three-game series to push closer to that goal. It’s up to New York’s bats to use Yankee Stadium to their advantage and keep the Blue Jays at bay.

What was once a really tight, jumbled-up division race has suddenly become almost a laugher as the calendar gets ready to flip to August. The team that has emerged from the rubble, the New York Yankees, has been the only club in the AL East to play consistent baseball, and after a hot month, they’ve managed to seemingly pull away from the rest of the pack, comfortably residing at the top for division supremacy.

As a result, August is shaping up to be an exciting month for Yankee fans, but not just because the Bronx Bombers appear playoff-bound for the first time in three years. In addition to impending success on the way to October, the Yankees have a plethora of awesome promotional giveaway days at Yankee Stadium throughout the month, including a variety of giveaways during the upcoming three-game set with the arch nemesis Boston Red Sox.

While fans might believe they can score better ticket deals for these games from the secondary market, that’s not the case with this series and other games throughout August, as Yankees.com actually boasts most of the superior ticket offers that you’ll find. For instance, in game one of this series, the Yankees feature tickets in section 107, row 14 for $110, which easily tops the price of section 107, row 14 tickets on the secondary market, where those same seats are being sold for $168. Furthermore, section 128, row 22 is $155, yet on the secondary market, those seats are going for a whopping $234! This trend is prevalent all throughout the series, like in the middle affair against the Red Sox on August 5, where tickets in section 417, row 11 cost just $32 on the Yankees website, besting the secondary market once again, which has those same seats for $50. Meanwhile, in the finale on August 6, section 406, row 5 seats on Yankees.com can be had for $22, as opposed to the $34 price-tag they’re going for from other sellers.

It doesn’t stop there, of course, as the Yankees sport a few other notable promotional days at the stadium in the latter portion of August that fans will definitely want to take part in. The two most significant will actually be occurring on back-to-back days on the same weekend, when the Yankees host the Cleveland Indians for a weekend series. On Saturday, August 22, it will be Jorge Posada Day at The Stadium, in which there will be a ceremony honoring one of the best catchers in franchise history, with his number being retired. In addition, a special Jorge Posada Collector Card will be distributed to fans. Former longtime Yankees starting pitcher Andy Pettitte will also receive the same treatment the following day on Sunday, August 23, when the Yanks retire Pettitte’s number as well with a ceremony in his honor, while also giving out Andy Pettitte Collector Cards, too. Undoubtedly, this will be one of the most special weekends for the franchise all year.

Towards the end of August, the Yankees will be giving away arguably the most anticipated item on the promotional calendar this month, that being a Jacoby Ellsbury bobblehead on Monday, August 24, when New York starts a series with a fellow AL contender, the Houston Astros. In a way, this could also serve as a potential playoff preview, if the two clubs meet one another at some point in October.

Regardless of the outcome of any one particular game, August is shaping up to be a great month to be at Yankee Stadium.

It’s been a very up-and-down season for the reigning AL East champion Baltimore Orioles. After a slow start to the year that saw them saddled with a 23-29 record in early-June, the Orioles turned things around with their best stretch of the season, going 18-7 throughout the rest of the month to vault back into first-place. However, they would proceed to go cold again, losing 10 of their last 13 entering the All-Star break, which sunk them down to the .500-mark and right back into the middle-of-the-pack.

 

Fortunately for Buck Showalter’s club, they’ll have a very nice opportunity to gain some ground back, as they travel to Yankee Stadium for a crucial series with the first-place Yankees. The Bronx Bombers have experienced their own highs and lows throughout the season, but at the moment, have sustained a decent lead for first over the rest of the division residents and will try and keep it going as the second half gets rolling.

It’s been an evenly-matched season series between the two clubs up to this point, as they’ve split ten meetings heading into this three-game set. Ironically, it’s been the road team that has dominated, as the Orioles took two of three from each of their series at Yankee Stadium, while New York took three out of four when they visited Camden Yards in Baltimore in early-May. With this series being in the Bronx, the Yankees will look to reverse that trend.

Speaking of trends, fans might be surprised to learn that a majority of superior ticket deals can actually be found on Yankees.com, as opposed to on the secondary market and the same holds true for this very series. For instance, look no further than the highly coveted seats in section 128, row 25 on the field for Thursday’s series finale. Those who explore their options on the Yankees website can get those premium seats for $155, which is an immense bargain when compared to what other sellers are asking for. In fact, those same tickets are going for whopping $235 on the secondary market.

Furthermore, the same game sees tickets in section 228, row 7 going for just $90 from the Yankees, which easily bests the $149 price tag those same seats are listed at from outside sellers. Fans can also attain better value straight from the team for the series opener in section 234, row 1. On Yankees.com, those seats cost $55, whereas on the secondary market, they cost $70.

Early on in the second half, this is as close to a “must-see” series as it gets, considering how tightly-contested the race in the AL East is, and the storied organizations involved. Without question, this will be one of the more high-profile series throughout this week, and that’s why the demand for tickets is so high on the secondary market. Thus, your best bet is going straight to the source for your ticketing needs.

Tonight the New York Yankees will host the Oakland Athletics in the second game of a three-game set, and it will feature something more than a potential Yankees home victory. In addition to the action, this particular affair will also serve as Dellin Betances Figurine Night, the only one of its kind to be held at Yankee Stadium all season long, and the only night dedicated to honoring one of the game’s brightest young relievers.

While the giveaway item will be rare and perhaps even become valuable, considering the Yankees typically only give bobbleheads as opposed to figurines, tickets are averaging $58.66 for this contest, with a get-in price of just $7 on TiqIQ. Going into the season, many figured this promotion at the stadium would rank amongst the most highly demanded Yankees tickets of the year, so the value in going to this game looks remarkable at the moment. There are great deals to be had not just on the secondary market, but also directly through the team on Yankees.com, as tonight offers discounts for students and military members.

Betances has been enjoying another unbelievable All-Star campaign in 2015, owning a 5-1 record, 1.80 ERA, and 0.86 WHIP (as of July 7), not to mention the fact that he has 68 strikeouts in just 42 innings of work for one of the best strikeout-per-inning ratios amongst all Major League relief pitchers. Furthermore, opposing batters are hitting an eye-opening .127 against the hard-throwing right-hander.

As great as he’s been this season, it will be difficult for the Washington Heights native to top his success from a season ago. Aside from making the All-Star team and finishing third in the voting for the AL Rookie of the Year award, Betances set a new franchise record last year for strikeouts by a reliever, as his 135 punch-outs topped the great Mariano Rivera’s previous mark of 130 set back in 1996.

Alongside closer Andrew Miller, the 27-year-old Betances helps comprise one of the top one-two late-inning punches in all of baseball. In the process, he’s helped ease the transition in the bullpen as it regards the post-Rivera era, as well as moving on from David Robertson.

With a revamped bullpen led by Betances and Miller in addition to Alex Rodriguez’s resurgence at the plate this season, the Yanks are leading the AL East with a 44-38 record to begin July. In challenging the struggling Athletics, Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners in their next three series starting Tuesday evening, the Yanks have a golden opportunity to broaden their lead on the Baltimore Orioles and take control of the division.

As long as they can consistently get leads into the latter innings, there’s no question Betances will play a crucial role in helping close the door. Any fan who follows baseball recognizes that Betances is as automatic as any late-inning reliever the sport has to offer.