Yankees secure 21st division title

NEW YORK (AFP) — New York star Aaron Judge belted his Major League-leading 58th home run and Giancarlo Stanton homered and drove in four runs as the Yankees clinched their 21st division title with a 10-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday.

Gerrit Cole delivered a strong performance on the mound for the Yankees, who won the American League (AL) East crown for the second time in three years to secure a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the AL Division Series.

Judge homered in his fifth straight game, smacking a two-run homer in the seventh off of Bryan Baker.

Stanton’s 27th home run of the season had put the Yankees ahead in the second inning. It was the 14th time this season that Judge and Stanton homered in the same game.

Stanton also connected for a three-run double in the sixth inning.

Cole gave up two hits in 6 2/3 innings, striking out five and walking one, and departing to a standing ovation.

The Orioles had secured a wild card playoff spot with a victory on Tuesday that kept the Yankees’ division title celebrations on hold.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Baltimore’s wins in the first two games of the series were characteristic of the struggles faced by the Yankees this season.

“Nothing’s been easy for us this year, and we shouldn’t expect it to be now,” he said.

“We’ve persevered and grinded our way through all of it.”