Aaron Judge hit his major-league-leading 58th homer and went deep for the fifth straight game as the host New York Yankees clinched the American League East title with a 10-1 rout of the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday.
The Yankees (93-66) wrapped up their second division title in three seasons and third in seven seasons under manager Aaron Boone, securing the crown with three games remaining.
New York also clinched a first-round playoff bye and will open a best-of-five division series on Oct. 5. The Yankees moved a game ahead of the Cleveland Guardians (92-67) for the best record in the AL.
Giancarlo Stanton homered and drove in four runs for the Yankees, who scored nine runs against Baltimore’s bullpen.
New York ace Gerrit Cole (8-5) allowed two hits, both singles, in 6 2/3 scoreless innings. He struck out five and walked one before exiting to a standing ovation.
Cole did not allow a hit until Ramon Urias singled to right field with two outs in the fifth. He allowed a leadoff single to James McCann in the sixth but ended the inning by fanning Anthony Santander on a rising 98 mph fastball to maintain a 1-0 lead.
Judge matched his longest home run streak (also accomplished in 2020) when he connected for a two-run shot against Bryan Baker with one out in the seventh inning for a 9-0 lead.
Stanton gave Cole a 1-0 lead by hitting a slider from Baltimore ace Corbin Burnes (15-9) into the left field seats with one out in the second.
Stanton increased the margin to 5-0 by hammering a first-pitch fastball from Cionel Perez for a three-run double to center field in the sixth. Stanton’s double occurred after Austin Wells worked out a bases-loaded walk to start the six-run inning.
Anthony Rizzo increased New York’s lead to 7-0 by hitting a two-run double off the right field wall against Baker.
New York’s Alex Verdugo added a homer in the eighth after entering the game as a defensive replacement in left field.
Burnes allowed one run on two hits in five innings. He struck out nine, walked one and was pulled after 69 pitches to preserve him for Baltimore’s playoff opener in the best-of-three wild-card round on Tuesday.
Emmanuel Rivera lifted a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the ninth for the Orioles before Cedric Mullins made the final out on a grounder.
The Orioles (88-71) lead the Kansas City Royals (85-74) and the Detroit Tigers (85-74) by three games in the wild-card race, with three games remaining.