It took losing yet another series to the rival Baltimore Orioles, but the Yankees avoided the sweep and finally clinched the AL East with a 10-1 victory on Thursday evening.
Gerrit Cole tossed 6.2 shutout innings with five strikeouts, and Giancarlo Stanton led the way with a home run and four total RBI. Team captain and likely MVP Aaron Judge also added his MLB-leaded 58th home run of the season.
The Yankees can now breathe easy. They have secured a first round bye and only have a weekend series with the Pittsburgh Pirates remaining. They’ll begin the ALDS on Saturday as either the first or second seed in the American League.
As things currently stand, New York holds a one-game lead over the Cleveland Guardians for the top spot. Given how this series finale against Baltimore played out, the Bronx Bombers should have plenty of momentum.
It was clear from the first pitch that the Yankees were locked in. Cole retired the side on 13 pitches and didn’t even allow a hit until the fifth inning. In the second, Stanton crushed a solo shot to give the team a 1-0 lead.
NUMBER 27 FOR NUMBER 27! 1-0 YANKS pic.twitter.com/QIhXpRvQjq
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 26, 2024
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js New York rode the gauntlet from then until the sixth inning, when Cole fanned Anthony Santander to leave the tying run stranded. Baltimore also made an interesting choice here, pulling ace Corbin Burnes after just 69 pitches in five innings.
Yennier Cano loaded the bases, Cionel Perez walked Austin Wells to make it 2-0, and then Stanton made him pay again. A booming double off the wall made it 5-0, and the Yankees never looked back. Judge’s homer was just the cherry on top.
STANTON CLEARS THE BASES AND THE STADIUM IS ROCKING pic.twitter.com/UsMF3FVAOU
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 27, 2024
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NUMBER 58 FOR AARON JUDGE pic.twitter.com/4ARW56tnGE
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 27, 2024
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsNow, it’s time to rest easy, pop some bottles, and prepare for October.
A beautiful thing pic.twitter.com/SYTqquOx0D
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 27, 2024
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