The last 15 games put the Yankees in prime position.
Locked in a divisional dogfight for most of the season, the Yankees managed to finally create some distance between themselves and the Orioles over the past two-plus weeks with five consecutive series victories.
The Yankees won two games apiece against the contending Cubs, Royals and Mariners; did what they were supposed to do against the middling Red Sox at home; and, over the weekend, swept away the lowly A’s in their final trip to Oakland Coliseum.
Their 11-4 record over that stretch coincided with a 5-10 slump by the injury-plagued Orioles, allowing the Yankees to extend their American League East lead to six games with six to play.
With a magic number of one, the Yankees (92-64) can clinch the division with a win Tuesday night, when they kick off a three-game series against the Orioles (86-70) in the Bronx.
“Hopefully it’s rocking,” manager Aaron Boone said after Sunday’s 7-4 win in Oakland. “Looking forward to getting after it Tuesday in what should be a really good environment.”
This week’s divisional showdown at Yankee Stadium has long been circled as a potentially pivotal meeting between the two beasts of the East, though the series lost some of its urgency as the Yankees pulled further ahead of Baltimore.
It would take a serious collapse for the Yankees to squander the division now, as they need only one win or one Orioles loss in the next six days to clinch.
Still, the Yankees know they can’t take Baltimore lightly. Even with all of their injuries, the O’s boast a loaded lineup led by Gunnar Henderson and Anthony Santander, along with a Cy Young-contending ace in Corbin Burnes who looms on Thursday should the Yankees fail to wrap up the division before then.
Clarke Schmidt (5-4, 2.37 ERA) is set to start Tuesday’s series opener for the Yankees, with Dean Kramer (7-10, 4.19 ERA) scheduled for Baltimore.
Wednesday night’s matchup features Nestor Cortes (9-10, 3.77 ERA) for the Yankees and Zach Eflin (10-9, 3.53 ERA) for the O’s.
And Thursday’s series finale pits Baltimore’s Burnes (15-8, 2.95 ERA) against Yankees ace Gerrit Cole (7-5, 3.67 ERA), the reigning AL Cy Young winner who is fresh off of a season-best gem in Oakland.
“We’re all excited,” Aaron Judge said on the YES Network broadcast after Sunday’s victory. “We knew it was kind of coming down to the wire here, and like I’ve been saying the past couple of weeks, we’ve just got to take care of our business, focus on ourselves, focus on what we can do and we’ll be where we want to be.”
The Yankees find themselves in this position thanks largely to an MVP-caliber campaign by Judge, who struck his MLB-leading 55th home run Sunday; a similarly stellar season by Juan Soto; and a starting staff that didn’t just survive, but thrived, during Cole’s elbow-related absence to begin the year.
The Yankees jumped out to a 45-19 record — and a 4.5-game lead over Baltimore — on June 6, before falling into a nearly two-month slump that threatened to derail their season.
Between June 7 and July 26, the Yankees went just 15-26. Their pitching faltered as Cole worked to regain his pre-injury form; Luis Gil endured rookie struggles; and Carlos Rodón became too predictable with his fastball.
Still, the Yankees managed to go 3-3 against the Orioles over that stretch, during which the games became increasingly chippy. The drama reached a fever pitch on July 13, when Clay Holmes hit Baltimore’s Heston Kjerstad in the head, causing benches to clear in Baltimore.
The Orioles led the AL East by three games on July 8, but they’ve managed only a 29-37 record since then as injuries took their toll.
Starting pitchers Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells each underwent season-ending surgeries, as did star closer Félix Bautista. Infielders Jordan Westburg and Ramón Urías returned only recently from multi-week absences.
The Yankees, meanwhile, have gotten progressively healthier in recent weeks, with Schmidt, Gil and Anthony Rizzo each being activated from the injured list this month.
A pre-deadline trade for Jazz Chisholm Jr. lengthened the Yankees’ lineup, as did the September call-up of top prospect Jasson Domínguez.
The Yankees are 27-19 since the start of August and are 13-6 in September. Unlike in 2022, when they jumped out to MLB’s best record but ultimately limped into the playoffs, the Yankees are playing some of their best baseball of the season down the stretch.
“We’re focused,” Boone said. “I think everyone in that room knows what’s at stake, and what the mission is, and where we’re at on the calendar and the opportunity in front of us. I think guys are just ready to do what we’ve got to do to win ball games.”
After the Orioles, the Yankees are scheduled to host the Pirates for a three-game series in the Bronx to conclude the regular season. Baltimore is scheduled to travel to Minnesota for a three-game set against a Twins team fighting for a Wild Card spot.
Clinching the East would guarantee the Yankees a first-round bye in the playoffs and allow them to set their rotation for the ALDS.
They own a 2.5 game lead over the Guardians for the best record in the AL, which would mean home-field advantage in ALCS.
The Yankees entered Monday with the same record as the Phillies and were a game behind the 93-63 Dodgers for baseball’s best mark. Finishing with a better record than both would guarantee the Yankees home-field advantage in the World Series.
Clearly, there’s plenty to play for this week.
