LOS ANGELES (AFP) — New York's Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Ryan McMahon all homered as the Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles, 6-1, to remain locked in a race with Toronto for Major League Baseball’s American League East title on the penultimate day of the regular season.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone was ejected for arguing called strikes against Judge in the fifth inning, after which the New York captain belted a two-run single to help seal the victory.
Judge had staked the Yankees to a 1-0 lead with his 53rd home run of the season in the first inning.
Stanton and McMahon added solo homers off Baltimore pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano in the second and rookie pitcher Cam Schlittler tossed seven shut-out innings.
The only concern for the Yankees was the early exit of Jazz Chisholm after he was hit on the left arm by a 97 mph pitch.
Initial X-rays were negative, the Yankees said, with Boone saying the "early signs are good" that the injury is not too serious.
The Yankees, already assured of at least a wild card berth, won their seventh straight game to stay level with the Blue Jays atop the division.
Toronto beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-1 and held the tiebreaker over the Yankees if they remain tied after the final games of the regular season on Sunday.