AL division leaders keep falling — can the Blue Jays hold on over the final weekend?

Just a few weeks ago, the Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers, and Houston Astros all would have been strong bets to win their respective divisions. But now, with only two games left in the regular season, the landscape across the American League has dramatically shifted.

The Mariners have clinched the AL West, the Astros might not even make the playoffs, and the Guardians, once outside the postseason picture, are looking more and more likely to win the AL Central.

AL division leaders keep falling — can the Blue Jays hold on over the final weekend?

This is baseball, and this is what makes the sport so exciting, especially in the last few weeks of the season. Anything can happen, and more often than not, the final games of the season carry the most weight for teams heading to the postseason. However, the Blue Jays find themselves in a precarious situation with three games left on their schedule.

As it stands, the Blue Jays and Yankees are tied atop the AL East with identical 91-68 records (going into Friday night). If the season ended today, Toronto would take both the division and the top seed in the AL, thanks to them holding the tie-breaker over New York.

The Blue Jays will face a test this weekend, facing the Rays who have had great success against them this season and lead the head-to-head matchup 7-3. On the other hand, the Yankees face the Orioles this season, a team they've fared well against with a 6-4 record this year.

The Jays control their own destiny, but with the Yankees facing the struggling Orioles to finish the season, Toronto may need to sweep the Rays this weekend to lock up the division.

The importance of these final games can't be understated. With the Blue Jays' offense scuffling and Bo Bichette's status still uncertain, securing the division title becomes even more crucial. A first-round bye would not only give the Jays home-field advantage in the Division Series, but also gives Bichette additional time to recover - a player they need desperately right now.

Although this late-season surge from teams is not unprecedented, it is rare to see three division leaders falter so quickly. However, the fate of this season is still in the Blue Jays' hands, and they're going to have to play their heart out for it this weekend.