NEW YORK – The bases were full in the fifth inning on Saturday as Aaron Judge stared at a pair of called strikes ruled to have nicked the inside corner. The Yankees disagreed; Aaron Boone howled from the dugout, earning his Major League-leading seventh ejection, tossing his gum as he stormed off the Yankee Stadium diamond.
Judge nodded, appreciative of his manager going to battle, then got back to work. Having already slugged his 53rd home run, the captain ripped a two-run single to help seal the Yankees’ 6-1 victory over the Orioles, firming his case for a third American League Most Valuable Player Award with the postseason looming.
“It was definitely a big spot where we put the game out of reach,” Judge said. “I didn’t agree with the calls, but you’ve got to stay focused. It only takes one pitch. That’s why you get three strikes.”
Giancarlo Stanton also belted his 453rd career homer, surpassing Carl Yastrzemski (452) for sole possession of 40th place all time. Winners of seven straight, the Yankees (93-68) will enter the season’s final day with the AL East race hanging in the balance, still tied atop the division but with the Blue Jays holding a head-to-head tiebreaker.
Put simply: A New York win coupled with a Toronto loss would make the Yankees division champions. Otherwise, they’ll host the Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium beginning Tuesday.
“It’s exciting,” Judge said. “I wish we had a nice little cushion, a nice little lead in the division, but we’ll take it either way.”
The Yankees received good news after Jazz Chisholm Jr. was forced to exit Saturday’s game, having been hit on the left forearm in the fifth inning by Grant Wolfram’s 96.8 mph sinker. Initial X-rays were negative; the team said Chisholm went for a CT scan, which also came back clean.
With Judge and Stanton homering, it marked the 59th time – and second in as many days – that the sluggers have gone deep in the same game (including postseason), a stat that Judge called “something we kind of dreamed of and talked about ever since he got traded over in ’18.”
“They’ve been in the middle of everything here down the stretch, and that’s put us in a position to have a meaningful game [Sunday],” Boone said. “Those two guys are game-changers.”
No argument here, but Judge is providing plenty to dream about on his own. His 2-for-4 performance raised his average to .331, in line to secure his first career batting title as he holds a commanding lead over the Athletics’ Jacob Wilson (.313).
The 6-foot-7 Judge is hours away from being crowned the tallest batting champ ever, and just the third player to hit at least 50 home runs while leading the league in hitting. The others were Mickey Mantle (1956) and Jimmie Foxx (1938).
“We’ve got one more game, so we’ll see what happens,” Judge said. “A lot of hard work. We’ve got a great team, a great opportunity, so I never want to spoil those moments. I just try to do everything I can in my power to get better.”
Judge’s sustained excellence continues to fuel a heated AL MVP race with the Mariners’ Cal Raleigh, who made history by becoming the first catcher to belt 60 homers in a season. The Yankees salute Raleigh’s outstanding performance, but not surprisingly, they’d give their first-place votes to Judge.
“The guy can do it all, man,” said Ryan McMahon, who homered in the win. “I think it’s a no-doubt MVP. Seeing him up close the last two months, it’s no doubt in my mind.”
As that argument continues from coast to coast, Cam Schlittler continued to make his presence felt in the Bronx. The hard-throwing righty capped his first regular season with seven strong innings, striking out a career-high nine while allowing just two hits and one walk.
Schlittler finished with a 2.96 ERA over 73 big league frames – a convincing audition for a potential Game 3 start in October, whether in the AL Wild Card or Division Series.
Max Fried and Carlos Rodón are locked in as the Yankees’ Nos. 1 and 2 starters in their next round. Boone has said the club will weigh Schlittler alongside Luis Gil and Will Warren for the remaining postseason rotation assignments.
“It’s obviously high stakes right now, and I don’t have experience in the playoffs,” Schlittler said. “I take it day to day. I’m aware of the situation, but that’s over with. Now I’ve got to focus on next week.”
That’s true for him. For the rest of his teammates, they’ll look no further than Sunday.
“It’s kind of crazy – 162 games, and it’s going to come down to that last day,” Boone said. “That’s the beauty of our sport.”