At first glance, the New York Yankees playing the Kansas City Royals seems like any other American League Division series as of late. The Yankees have home field advantage over whichever AL Central squad.
But dig a little deeper, and this is a rivalry reborn. In fact, the Yankees’ first-ever experience in the playoff era came against the Kansas City Royals in 1976. A pennant-clinching home run from Chris Chambliss later, and a rivalry was born. KC and New York would face off in the ALCS four times in five years, with the Royals finally breaking through in 1980.