Many speculated that the New York Yankees would be sluggish or hungover after clinching their 8th playoff appearance in the last nine seasons.
Fresh off their champagne-soaked playoff-clinching celebration, the Yankees regrouped, refreshed, and stormed back into the AL East race behind their captain and ace.
Aaron Judge launched his 50th and 51st home runs of the season, while Max Fried delivered one final regular-season masterpiece in an 8–1 rout of the White Sox on Wednesday in The Bronx.
Combined with Boston’s win over Toronto, the Yankees pulled even with the Blue Jays atop the division with just four games left. Although Toronto holds the tiebreaker, New York has clawed its way back into contention after months of chasing.
For the first time since July 2, the Yankees share the top spot in the division. Their determination was evident even during Tuesday’s celebration, where they drank little but sprayed plenty, signaling that they were after more than just a playoff berth, essentially handling business.
Max Fried capped off his first year in pinstripes with seven strong innings, giving up only one run on four hits while further cementing himself as a Cy Young contender. The offense broke the game open in the third inning, sparked by Ben Rice’s triple and capped by a four-run rally.
But the spotlight, as it has so often been, belonged to Judge. His three-run homer in the second inning not only gave the Yankees the lead but also made him the fourth player in MLB history to record four 50-homer seasons, joining Babe Ruth, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa.
Later, he added a second blast, tying Mickey Mantle for second in Yankees history with 46 career multi-homer games.
He now has four games left to add to his total and strengthen his case for a third MVP award in five years. The debate all season long has been whether it will be Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh or Judge, despite Judge being injured for a significant portion of late July and early August.
There was no sign of a hangover in the clubhouse on Wednesday—only focus. As the Judge looked around before the game, he saw a team locked in on what lies ahead.
