Aaron Judge, captain of the New York Yankees, hit his fourth home run in the past four games right in the first inning today, his 53rd of the season, aiding his team to a 6-1 home win against the Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees will keep fighting for the AL East crown in tomorrow’s final regular-season game.
The Toronto Blue Jays also earned a victory today, which means both teams remain tied in the standings. Since the Yankees have a 5-8 record against the Blue Jays this season, if the tie holds, the Blue Jays will be ranked higher. Therefore, the Yankees must win tomorrow and hope for a Blue Jays loss to clinch the division title.
“Just one more game, so let’s see what happens,” Judge said. “We’ve worked really hard, we have a great team and a strong chance, so I don’t want to spoil this moment. I’m just trying to give my best and improve.”
Judge went 2-for-4 in the game, including a game-winning solo home run in the first inning and a two-RBI single with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth inning. The Yankees collected 7 hits and scored 6 runs, with Giancarlo Stanton and Ryan McMahon each hitting solo homers. Rookie pitcher Cam Schlittler started and struck out a career-high 9 batters over 7 innings, allowing only 2 hits and no runs, helping the team defeat the Orioles.
Tomorrow’s regular season finale will determine if the Yankees need to play in the first round. Head coach Aaron Boone said, “It’s kind of crazy—162 games, and it all comes down to the last day. That’s the beauty of our sport.”