The New York Yankees have clinched the AL East division title.
With a decisive 10-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles, the Yankees secured their place as champions. This win also guarantees them a bye in the Wild Card Series and home-field advantage in the ALDS. The Cleveland Guardians, winners of the AL Central, will also enjoy a bye, while the Houston Astros will face off against the No. 6 wild-card seed.
“We’re focused,” said Aaron Boone last weekend via MLB.com. “Everyone knows what’s at stake and what our mission is. We’re ready to do what it takes to win games and give ourselves a chance come October.” As of September 8th, New York was trailing Baltimore by half a game, making Thursday’s win crucial in solidifying their lead .
Since then, New York has gone 11-5 while Baltimore faltered with a 6-10 record. The Yankees’ surge came as Baltimore continued its stretch of mediocre play that began back in June.
Aaron Judge and Juan Soto have been pivotal this season, forming one of baseball’s best offensive duos ever. Here’s how they compare to other historic pairs:
| Team | Best Hitter | Second-Best Hitter |
|—————|———————|———————-|
| 2024 Yankees | Aaron Judge (224 OPS+)| Juan Soto (178 OPS+) |
| 1932 Yankees | Babe Ruth (201 OPS+) | Lou Gehrig (181 OPS+)|
| … | … | … |
Judge (.461) and Soto (.418) are on track to be the first teammates since Wade Boggs and Mike Greenwell in 1988 to finish first and second in on-base percentage. Soto has hit a career-high 41 home runs this year; Judge has smashed an impressive 58 homers, joining legends like Ruth, McGwire, and Sosa with multiple seasons hitting over 58 home runs.
For most of this year, Judge and Soto carried the team alone. Now others are stepping up too—Gleyber Torres is thriving since moving into leadoff spot on August 16th, hitting .316/.386/.454. Rookie Austin Wells has found his groove as cleanup hitter . Giancarlo Stanton returned from injury with renewed power, and Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s trade added much-needed athleticism.
Clutch (G)ene.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees)
Even though Nestor Cortes is out with an elbow strain , pitching remains strong overall. Gerrit Cole has bounced back from early-season nerve inflammation to deliver stellar performances lately—his ERA stands at an impressive 2.25 over his last ten starts! Clarke Schmidt also returned from injury without missing a beat; Luke Weaver replaced struggling Clay Holmes effectively as Boone’s go-to bullpen option since August.
Fans might think this could finally be their year given how wide open things are right now!
Yankees’ Last Five Playoff Appearances
| Year | Regular Season Record | Playoff Result |
|——–|———————–|——————————|
| 2022 | 99-63 | Lost ALCS vs Astros |
| 2021 | 92-70 | Lost AL Wild Card Game vs Red Sox |
| … | … | … |
The Yankees haven’t won a World Series or even reached one since way back in ’09! With no superteam dominating this season plus key players like Soto becoming free agents soon—it feels like now-or-never for winning another title during Judge’s era!
What do you think? Can they pull it off?
