NEW YORK (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles clinched their second straight playoff berth, overcoming Aaron Judge’s major league-leading 56th home run to beat the New York Yankees 5-3 on Tuesday night.
The Orioles’ win combined with Minnesota’s loss to Miami nine minutes later assured Baltimore at least an American League wild card.
Anthony Santander hit his 44th home run and Ramón Urías and Colton Cowser also went deep for Baltimore (87-80), which closed within five games of the AL East-leading Yankees (92-65) with five games left. The Orioles’ win clinched the season series and the tiebreaker against the Yankees, but Baltimore would have to finish 5-0 while New York goes 0-5 for the Orioles to finish atop the division.
New York, which clinched a playoff berth last week, would win the AL East with one more victory.
Baltimore had lost seven of its previous 10 games.
Santander homered in the sixth against Clarke Schmidt (5-5), a drive off the right-field foul pole. Eligible for free agency after the World Series, the switch-hitter has set career bests for homers and RBIs (100).
Urías boosted the lead to 4-1 with a home run against Tim Mayza starting the seventh.
Gleyber Torres’ two-out RBI double and Juan Soto’s run-scoring single against Yennier Cano in the bottom half cut the deficit to 4-3, but when Soto continued to second on Santander’s throw home from right, Torres got caught in a rundown between third base and home plate and was tagged out — preventing Judge from batting with two on.
Cowser homered off Ian Hamilton in the eighth.
Dean Kremer (8-10) allowed one run and three hits in five innings. Seranthony Domínguez, Baltimore’s seventh pitcher, got two outs for his 11th save in 13 chances.
Schmidt gave up thee runs and four hits in five-plus innings.
Heston Kjerstad’s RBI grounder in the second and Ryan O’Hearn’s run-scoring single in the fourth following Schmidt’s wild pitch built a 2-0 lead.
Judge homered in the bottom half, a high drive to left field.
Knicks player Josh Hart, a great nephew of former Yankees catcher Elston Howard, threw out the ceremonial first pitch and former New York center fielder Bernie Williams, an acclaimed guitarist in his second career, played the national anthem.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles: 1B Ryan Mountcastle was activated from the 10-day injured list after recovering from sprained left wrist sustained Aug. 22. He pinch hit in the sixth and went 1 for 2. … RHP Grayson Rodriguez (lat) is still not facing hitters and did not make the trip.
Yankees: RHP Jake Cousins (right pectoral strain) hopes to start throwing in a few days and be available for a Division Series.
UP NEXT
Yankees LHP Nestor Cortes (9-10, 3.77 ERA) is 4-0 in his last seven starts going into Wednesday’s outing against RHP Zach Eflin (10-9, 3.54).
