NEW YORK — Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 58th home run, going deep for the fifth straight game to help the New York Yankees win their second AL East title in three years with a 10-1 victory against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday. night.
Giancarlo Stanton had four RBIs, including his 27th home run, Alex Verdugo also homered and Gerrit Cole edged out Corbin Burnes in a possible playoff preview. Judge and Stanton homered in the same game for the 14th time this year, tying Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris in 1961 for the most wins in Yankees history.
New York secured a first-round bye and home-field advantage in a five-game AL Division Series starting October 5.
Baltimore, which clinched a playoff spot by winning the first game of the three-game series Tuesday night, will participate in a three-game Wild Card series starting Tuesday.
Stanton homered in the second to give the Yankees the lead and hit a three-run double in a six-run sixth.
Judge hit a two-run homer in the seventh off Bryan Baker and has 144 RBIs, the most in the major leagues since Ryan Howard’s 146 in 2008. Judge tied his career high by homering in five consecutive matches.
Making his final start before the postseason, Cole (8-5) allowed two hits in 6 2/3 innings, struck out five and walked one, lowering his ERA to 3.41. He retired Anthony Santander with a 98.1 mph fastball that ended the eighth after home plate umpire David Rackley called a ball on the previous pitch, a knuckle curve that appeared to be just above the strike zone. Cole glared at the umpire as the pitcher returned to the dugout.
Cole received a standing ovation when he walked to the dugout with two outs in the seventh and raised his cap to the crowd of 42,022.
Burnes (15-9) allowed two hits in five innings, one walk and nine strikeouts – eight of them to cutters. Burnes exited after 69 pitches and is expected to start the Orioles’ playoff opener on Tuesday. He had a 1.20 ERA in five starts in September.
Stanton threw a slider at the bottom of the strike zone into the left field seats after badly missing a slider on the previous pitch.
Austin Wells, in a 4-for-42 slide, forced a run while walking with the bases loaded against Cionel Pérez. Stanton drove the next pitch with a jumper to the wall in right center for a 5-1 lead. Stanton has 72 RBIs after going 6 for 18 with two doubles, two homers and eight RBIs in his last five games.
Anthony Rizzo added a two-run single against Baker.
Emmanuel Rivera hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning for the Orioles.
FOLLOWING
Orioles: LHP Cade Povich (2-9, 5.59) starts a series opener at Minnesota on Friday, when LHP Pablo López (15-9, 4.11) will take the mound for the Twins.
Yankees: LHP Carlos Rodón (16-9, 3.98), 7-2 with a 2.87 ERA since the All-Star break. starts game 1 of the series Friday against Pirates RHP Jared Jones (6-8, 4.14).
