Gerrit Cole and Giancarlo Stanton lead the Yankees to a decisive AL East win over the Orioles

Gerrit Cole And Giancarlo Stanton Set the tone for the Yankees with playoff-caliber performances Aaron Richter added his MLB-leading 58th home run as New York clinched the AL East in a 10-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday.

Takeaways

1. Cole is in playoff mode. The Yankees needed their ace to deliver, and they got a top-notch performance from him. In 6.2 scoreless IPs, Cole (8-5, 3.41) allowed two hits on 101 pitches (64 hits) while striking out five and walking one.

Thursday’s start follows last Friday’s complete game at the Oakland A’s, when he scored one run on two hits, fanned seven and gave up a free pass. Cole’s September 14 performance against the Boston Red Sox, where he posted a season-worst seven runs allowed and three hit batters, was a cause for concern. Since then, he has responded with authority, proving that his One’s gem was no accident.

Next stop: Game 1 of the ALDS, possibly against the Orioles.

2. Is Stanton heating up at the right time? New York certainly hopes so after the slugger led off with a solo home run in the second inning, his 27th long ball of the year, to give Cole and the Yankees a 1-0 lead. Four frames later, Stanton hit the Orioles with a bases-clearing double and New York’s lead increased to 5-0. In the case of a crime in which the judge and Juan Soto After doing much of the heavy lifting, Stanton is a potential X-factor for the Yankees in October.

3. In Judge’s fifth straight game with a home run, the Yankees led 7-0, but the AL MVP frontrunner clearly isn’t letting up. His MLB-leading 144th RBI cushioned New York’s blowout and sent a message of ruthlessness to Baltimore as the postseason looms.

4. The Yankees defeated the Orioles 5-8 in 2024, saving one of three games for the season finale. After New York’s ninth-inning comeback failed in Wednesday’s 9-7 loss, the momentum clearly spilled over into Thursday. Will the trend continue in a potential ALDS rematch?

Who is the MVP?

Stanton, who gave the Yankees the lead and finished the game en route to four RBI.

Highlights

What’s next?

The Yankees (93-66) close out their regular season with a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates (74-85).

New York southpaw Carlos Rodon (16-9, 3.98 ERA) and Pittsburgh right-hander Jared Jones (6-8, 4.14 ERA) will begin their opener on Friday at 7:05 p.m.