Toronto 1
NY Yankees 2
Saturday, September 30, 2017 01:05 PM
(ET)
Judge homers, Yankees edge Blue Jays
The Sports Xchange
Sep 30, 2017
NEW YORK -- Aaron Judge hit another long home run but the New York Yankees were eliminated from the AL East race shortly after getting a 2-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays Saturday.
The Yankees (91-70), who last held sole possession of first place July 31, needed to win out and for the Boston Red Sox lose their remaining two games. That scenario would have left both teams at 92-70, forcing a tiebreaker game Monday in New York.
The Red Sox beat the Houston Astros 6-3 to claim the division title.
Judge extended his rookie record by opening the fourth with his league-leading 52nd homer. When he connected on Marcus Stroman's 2-0 fastball, the Red Sox were in a scoreless game with the Houston Astros at Fenway.
Shortly after Judge's 484-foot blast soared over the left field bleachers and landed on the walkway in front of the row of retired numbers, the Red Sox took a 2-0 lead.
Judge broke Hall of Famer Babe Ruth's record for home runs hit at home by a Yankee with his 33rd at Yankee Stadium. Ruth set the record in 1921 when the Yankees played across the Harlem River at Manhattan's Polo Grounds in the team's first pennant-winning season.
The 25-year-old also equaled the amount of homers hit by Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle when he won the Triple Crown in 1956.
CC Sabathia (14-5) was tabbed to make the start Saturday morning instead of Jaime Garcia after the Red Sox dropped a 3-2 decision Friday. He allowed four hits in 5 2/3 innings, exiting shortly after Boston's lead reached 5-0.
Sabathia exited to a standing ovation and won his fifth straight decision since returning from a brief DL stint last month. He struck out, extending his AL-record for strikeouts by a left-handed pitcher to 2,718.
Sabathia threw 75 pitches, including one to Ryan Goins that resulted in a fan being ejected for reaching over the right field seats. Goins was awarded a double on fan interference and Sabathia exited after striking out Teoscar Hernandez.
David Robertson gave up Josh Donaldson's bases-loaded sacrifice fly shortly in the eighth before striking out Justin Smoak with two on. Aroldis Chapman pitched a perfect ninth for his 22nd save.
Starlin Castro's RBI single in the fourth accounted for New York's other run.
Stroman (13-9) allowed two runs on six hits in four innings as the Blue Jays were shut out for the second straight game. Toronto also lost its third in a row after prolonging the AL East race with two wins at Fenway earlier this week.
NOTES: New York RF Aaron Judge made his 10th start as the designated hitter. Manager Joe Girardi wanted to give him a full day off but with the AL East still undecided before the game, Girardi settled for a half-day off: "That hasn't happened because of the situation that we're in so it kind of gives him a half day," Girardi said. ... Toronto RF Jose Bautista recorded his 10th outfield assist in the first inning. ... Blue Jays RHP Marcus Stroman finished at 201 innings, three shy of last year's total.
Sep 30, 2017
NEW YORK -- Aaron Judge hit another long home run but the New York Yankees were eliminated from the AL East race shortly after getting a 2-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays Saturday.
The Yankees (91-70), who last held sole possession of first place July 31, needed to win out and for the Boston Red Sox lose their remaining two games. That scenario would have left both teams at 92-70, forcing a tiebreaker game Monday in New York.
The Red Sox beat the Houston Astros 6-3 to claim the division title.
Judge extended his rookie record by opening the fourth with his league-leading 52nd homer. When he connected on Marcus Stroman's 2-0 fastball, the Red Sox were in a scoreless game with the Houston Astros at Fenway.
Shortly after Judge's 484-foot blast soared over the left field bleachers and landed on the walkway in front of the row of retired numbers, the Red Sox took a 2-0 lead.
Judge broke Hall of Famer Babe Ruth's record for home runs hit at home by a Yankee with his 33rd at Yankee Stadium. Ruth set the record in 1921 when the Yankees played across the Harlem River at Manhattan's Polo Grounds in the team's first pennant-winning season.
The 25-year-old also equaled the amount of homers hit by Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle when he won the Triple Crown in 1956.
CC Sabathia (14-5) was tabbed to make the start Saturday morning instead of Jaime Garcia after the Red Sox dropped a 3-2 decision Friday. He allowed four hits in 5 2/3 innings, exiting shortly after Boston's lead reached 5-0.
Sabathia exited to a standing ovation and won his fifth straight decision since returning from a brief DL stint last month. He struck out, extending his AL-record for strikeouts by a left-handed pitcher to 2,718.
Sabathia threw 75 pitches, including one to Ryan Goins that resulted in a fan being ejected for reaching over the right field seats. Goins was awarded a double on fan interference and Sabathia exited after striking out Teoscar Hernandez.
David Robertson gave up Josh Donaldson's bases-loaded sacrifice fly shortly in the eighth before striking out Justin Smoak with two on. Aroldis Chapman pitched a perfect ninth for his 22nd save.
Starlin Castro's RBI single in the fourth accounted for New York's other run.
Stroman (13-9) allowed two runs on six hits in four innings as the Blue Jays were shut out for the second straight game. Toronto also lost its third in a row after prolonging the AL East race with two wins at Fenway earlier this week.
NOTES: New York RF Aaron Judge made his 10th start as the designated hitter. Manager Joe Girardi wanted to give him a full day off but with the AL East still undecided before the game, Girardi settled for a half-day off: "That hasn't happened because of the situation that we're in so it kind of gives him a half day," Girardi said. ... Toronto RF Jose Bautista recorded his 10th outfield assist in the first inning. ... Blue Jays RHP Marcus Stroman finished at 201 innings, three shy of last year's total.
