Aaron Judge carries Yankees to sweep of A’s with AL East magic number down to one
OAKLAND, Calif. — In his final game at the Coliseum, Aaron Judge played emperor, with the Yankees takeover of the East nearly complete.
Taking the field for the last time at a stadium that holds special meaning for him, before the A’s bolt for Sacramento and eventually Las Vegas, the Northern California native added another chapter to his special season.
Judge crushed a home run for the second straight day — extending his major league lead to 55 — added a double that keyed a rally and scored another run to send the Yankees to a sweep of the A’s with a 7-4 win in front of 24,663 on Sunday afternoon.
Jasson Dominguez and Gleyber Torres also homered as the Yankees (92-64) flew home on the verge of winning the division.
“Ending it with a sweep is my favorite thing,” Judge said after going 2-for-3 with a pair of walks.
After an off day Monday, they will need just one win over the Orioles during their three-game series that begins Tuesday in The Bronx to clinch the AL East.
The Yankees will enter the series leading the Orioles by a season-high six games with six games to play, their magic number to win the division down to one.
“We’re focused,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Everyone in that room knows what’s at stake and what the mission is and where we’re at in the calendar and the opportunity in front of us. I think guys are ready to do what we got to do to win ballgames and give ourselves a chance come October.”
The Yankees also have a magic number of three (with a 2 ¹/₂-game lead over the Guardians) to secure the best record in the American League, which would give them home-field advantage through the ALCS.
Sunday’s win capped a 5-1 road trip, which included clinching a postseason berth Wednesday in Seattle, as the Yankees went 12-3 across their two West Coast swings this season.
“We play well on the road,” Judge said after the Yankees finished the regular season 50-31 on the road — their most road wins since 2003. “Coming out of here 5-1 is big, especially going into the last homestand. Magic number is down to one. Let’s just go take care of business now.”
