NEW YORK -- During his rookie season, right-hander Kyle Bradish has dealt with some typical ups and downs. But he finished strong in his last start of the season on Sunday afternoon, leading the Orioles to a 3-1 victory over the Yankees. Baltimore ended up taking two out of three in the weekend series at Yankee Stadium.

The win assured the Orioles of a record above the .500 mark for the first time since 2016. Baltimore is now 82-77, with its final series coming up against the Blue Jays at home.

“It’s an accomplishment from where we came from last year,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “It’s a 30-win difference. We still have a few games to go. I’m proud of our guys with the season they’ve had. It’s good to win a series here. Tough environment. A lot of people are watching the [Aaron] Judge [home run] record. I’m so happy with how our team played today.”

Bradish didn’t have any fear on the mound when facing the Yankees, who have already clinched a spot in the postseason for the sixth consecutive season. He started his outing off by striking out leadoff hitter Aaron Judge looking.

Judge continued to have problems against Bradish, striking out swinging with the bases loaded in the next inning. It wasn’t without some drama, though, as it appeared that Judge had already gone around on a check swing on a high 2-2 fastball. First-base umpire Dan Merzel signaled that Judge didn’t swing, which upset Bradish, who gestured to Marzel that Judge’s bat had indeed crossed the plate. Bradish was not ejected for arguing balls and strikes.

“Was I surprised I wasn’t ejected? No,” Bradish said. “That’s part of being a competitor. It was bases loaded, the best hitter is up. I thought I had him. I think a lot of people thought I had him. But [Merzel] said, ‘No, he didn’t go,’ so I was a little frustrated because all it takes is the next pitch for him to hit one out, and it’s 4-1.”

Bradish maintained his composure when he returned to the mound, striking out Judge on a curveball on his next pitch.

Overall, Bradish went five-plus innings, allowed one unearned run and struck out five batters in what felt like a playoff-type atmosphere. Bradish knew the Bronx crowd wanted to watch Judge break the American League single-season home run record, which stands at 61 and is held by both Judge and Roger Maris.

“It brings the best competitor out of me facing Judge,” Bradish said. “I mean, he is the best hitter in the league right now. I just tried to attack him. I think I executed that. It was a fun game to pitch.”

Judge went 0-for-3 with a walk and three strikeouts Sunday, with reliever Bryan Baker delivering the final punchout. In the three-game series as a whole, Judge was 1-for-7 with five walks against Orioles pitching.

“I think we pitched extremely well against him,” Hyde said. “I know there were some disappointments in a couple of the at-bats. Like any other series, he didn’t beat us in the three games. I thought we pitched him extremely tough, especially today. … Judge is a great player. He is having an incredible season, record-breaking season. I’m pulling for him in Texas.”

For the season, Bradish compiled a 4-7 record with a 4.90 ERA. But what was more encouraging was that he pitched to a 3.28 ERA after the All-Star break. The future appears to be bright for the young right-hander.

“I think his season is extremely positive,” Hyde said. “He had his rookie bumps on the road, but I felt where he has come from since the [right shoulder] injury and the adjustments he has made delivery-wise, confidence-wise … he showed you what he is made of.”