Judge hits 58th HR as Yankees beat Orioles to win AL East

NEW YORK – Six months ago, the scenes that unfolded Thursday night at Yankee Stadium, on the field and in the clubhouse, would have been described as improbable.

Gerrit Cole is not only healthy, but he’s hitting his prime at the right time, six months after being shut down with an elbow injury. Giancarlo Stanton not only on the field, but smashing baseballs in a game that mattered again, six months after facing questions following the worst season of his career. The two together fueled the New York Yankees’ 10-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

But it happened Thursday night as the Yankees toppled the Orioles, defending division champions and preseason favorites, to complete their climb to the top of the American League East that the franchise hopes to complete every season after failing to reach the playoffs in 2023.

The Yankees, at 93-66, are one game ahead of the Cleveland Guardians for the best record in the American League and home field advantage until the World Series. They finish the regular season with a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates starting Friday.

“It’s a special night,” Cole said as a raucous celebration continued around him. “That’s what you want as a player. The division is there for the taking. You have to go out there and get it.”

Cole came out and snatched him with another dominant takedown. After a nine-inning gem against the Oakland Athletics, the right-hander outpaced Orioles ace Corbin Burnes by allowing two hits in 6 ⅔ scoreless innings in his 17th and final start of the regular season. He had five strikeouts and one walk and threw 95 pitches.

The reigning Cy Young Award winner finished the season 8-5 with a 3.41 ERA in 95 innings after making his season debut on June 19 and going off the injured list. He will then take the mound for Game 1 of the AL Division Series against a team to be determined on October 5 with a full tank.

“I expect to throw 110 pitches next week,” Cole said.

Stanton, on the other hand, was vintage Stanton. The slugger opened the scoring with a solo homer in the second inning against Burnes, who allowed just one other hit and struck out nine in five innings. Two at-bats later, Stanton crushed a three-run double at 116.4 mph as the Yankees opened the game with a six-run sixth inning.

Aaron Judge extended the lead in the seventh inning with his 58th homer of the year, a two-run moonshot that penetrated the Orioles bullpen past the left-center field wall.

With this, Judge became the fourth player in major league history with at least 58 home runs in a season, joining Babe Ruth, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. He homered in five straight games, tying a career high.

“I didn’t realize that,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said when informed of Judge’s streak. “That’s the part to take for granted.”

Stanton’s homer was his 27th of the season. He is batting .235 with a .781 OPS in 112 games. Those aren’t prime numbers for Stanton — he’s already hit 59 homers in a season — but they’re light years better than a terrible 2023 season in which he hit .191 with a .695 OPS and sometimes had trouble just running the bases.

The struggles motivated Stanton to lose muscle mass and focus on his mobility during the offseason. The work paid off in helping the Yankees win their 21st Division title since division play began in 1969.

Next week, attention will turn to ending the franchise’s 15-year championship drought with World Series title No. 28.

“You can’t take this for granted at all,” Stanton said. “It’s expected, of course, but times like last year come, so you have to appreciate it. We’re here now, let’s enjoy it, you never know if we’ll get a chance again, so you have to go.”