Orioles clinch playoff berth, overcome Judge's 56th home run to beat Yankees 5-3

NEW YORK (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles clinched their second straight playoff berth, overcoming Aaron Judge’s major league-leading 56th home run to beat the New York Yankees 5-3 on Tuesday night.

Baltimore's win combined with Minnesota’s loss to Miami nine minutes later assured the injury-depleted Orioles at least an American League wild card.

“Last year winning the American League East was just such an achievement for us and the expectations were much lower,” general manager Mike Elias said. “We came into this year with higher expectations. We made a lot of moves that kind of pushed some chips in for this year and then we just didn’t have the fortune that we would have hoped for. I think today is a sense of relief.”

Anthony Santander hit his 44th home run and Ramón Urías and Colton Cowser also went deep for Baltimore (87-80), which closed within five games of the AL East-leading Yankees (92-65) with five games left. The Orioles’ win clinched the season series and the tiebreaker against the Yankees, but Baltimore would have to finish 5-0 while New York goes 0-5 for the Orioles to finish atop the division.

New York, which locked up a playoff berth last week, would win the AL East with one more victory.

"We didn’t get it done today but we've got an opportunity to do it tomorrow,” Judge said.

Baltimore had lost seven of its previous 10 games.

Santander homered in the sixth against Clarke Schmidt (5-5), a drive off the right-field foul pole. Eligible for free agency after the World Series, the switch-hitter has set career bests for homers and RBIs (100).

Urías boosted the lead to 4-1 with a home run against Tim Mayza starting the seventh.

Gleyber Torres’ two-out RBI double and Juan Soto’s run-scoring single against Yennier Cano in the bottom half cut the deficit to 4-3, but when Soto continued to second on Santander’s throw home from right field, Torres got caught in a rundown between third base and home plate and was tagged out — preventing Judge from batting with two on.

“I just tried to protect Soto," Torres said. “I feel like I have to be a little more aggressive if I’m going to make that decision.”

Torres had three hits and is batting .295 since the All-Star break, up from .231 in the first half.

“He does make some mistakes on base," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "On the bases, he’s cleaned it up a lot from I think last year and the year before where he was getting himself in trouble a lot. I think in his case, has toned down some of the aggressiveness, but I think also tonight is a case of protecting a runner, too. But, again, it’s got to be bluff or sell out and go.”

Cowser homered off Ian Hamilton in the eighth.

Dean Kremer (8-10) allowed one run and three hits in five innings. Seranthony Domínguez, Baltimore's seventh pitcher, got two outs for his 11th save in 13 chances.

Schmidt gave up thee runs and four hits in five-plus innings.

Heston Kjerstad’s RBI grounder in the second and Ryan O’Hearn’s run-scoring single in the fourth following Schmidt’s wild pitch built a 2-0 lead.

Judge homered in the bottom half, a high drive to left field.

Knicks player Josh Hart, a great nephew of former Yankees catcher Elston Howard, threw out the ceremonial first pitch and former New York center fielder Bernie Williams, an acclaimed guitarist in his second career, played the national anthem.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Orioles: 1B Ryan Mountcastle was activated from the 10-day injured list after recovering from sprained left wrist sustained Aug. 22. He pinch hit in the sixth and went 1 for 2. ... RHP Grayson Rodriguez (lat) is still not facing hitters and did not make the trip.

Yankees: RHP Jake Cousins (right pectoral strain) hopes to start throwing in a few days and be available for a Division Series.

UP NEXT

Yankees LHP Nestor Cortes (9-10, 3.77 ERA) is 4-0 in his last seven starts going into Wednesday’s outing against RHP Zach Eflin (10-9, 3.54).

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New York Yankees' Gleyber Torres (25) hits a single during the first inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)

Baltimore Orioles' players celebrate after clinching a playoff berth by defeating the New York Yankees in baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)

Baltimore Orioles' players celebrate after clinching a playoff berth by defeating the New York Yankees in baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge runs the basses after hitting a home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge hits a home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)

Baltimore Orioles' Anthony Santander scores a run off a single from Ryan O'Hearn during the forth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)

Baltimore Orioles' Anthony Santander crosses the plate after hitting a home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)

Baltimore Orioles' Anthony Santander hits a home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)

NEW YORK (AP) — Still 2 1/2 months shy of his 21st birthday and the legal drinking age, Jackson Holliday was given his own brand of bubbly in the jubilant Baltimore Orioles clubhouse: a bottle labeled “Bird Bath Water" left in a bucket with his No. 7 jersey and a sign: “BABY'S FIRST CLINCHMAS 2024.”

“It's a little bit more enjoyable for me,” the rookie said, clutching the non-alcoholic postprandial in Tuesday night's celebration at Yankee Stadium while teammates chugged from the tubes of the Orioles Hydration Station. "I was hoping that I could get in on the fun."

Baltimore is headed to the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time since the 1990s, clinching no worse than a wild-card berth.

After left fielder Colton Cowser gloved Alex Verdugo's flyout to seal a 5-3 win over the New York Yankees that brought Baltimore to the verge of the postseason, the Orioles filed into a visiting clubhouse draped with protective plastic curtains. Nine minutes later, while manager Brandon Hyde was answering postgame questions from media, Carlos Correa took a called third strike that finished Minnesota's 4-1 loss to Miami, assuring the Orioles another trip to the postseason.

“Last year winning the American League East was just such an achievement for us and the expectations were much lower,” general manager Mike Elias said. “We came into this year with higher expectations. We made a lot of moves that kind of pushed some chips in for this year and then we just didn’t have the fortune that we would have hoped for. I think today is a sense of relief.”

Coming off their first division title since 2014, the Orioles started 23-11 and were 55-31 before play on July 3 but have gone 32-39 since, slowed by a series of injuries. The Orioles had topped the division alone for 62 days and opened as much as a three-game lead.

Baltimore’s pitching staff lost Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells to elbow injuries that led to operations. Grayson Rodriguez hasn’t pitched since July 31 because of a lat problem.

“Not a lot has gone right in the last few months," Hyde said. "We're right in every game and things just haven't worked out in our favor. A ton of bad luck, too.”

Dean Kremer, who allowed one run and three hits over five innings for the win, started last year's game against Tampa Bay that assured the Orioles their first playoff berth since 2016. Eleven days later, he got the victory in the AL East clincher, which gave the Orioles 100 wins for the first time since 1980. He then lost the final game of the Division Series as Texas completed a three-game sweep en route to the Rangers' first World Series title.

“This is going to be kind of like a fresh start. We don’t have to grind now,” Kremer said.

As this year's postseason approaches, the Orioles are getting healthier. All-Star infielder Jordan Westburg came back from a broken hand on Sunday, the same day third baseman Ramón Urías returned from a sprained right ankle. First baseman Ryan Mountcastle was activated Tuesday after missing a month because of a sprained left wrist.

Baltimore has formidable power — the Orioles' 228 home runs are second only to the Yankees' 230.

“We know the type of group that we have,” said All-Star right fielder Anthony Santander, whose sixth-inning drive off the right-field foul pole gave him career highs of 44 homers and 100 RBIs.

Baltimore was knocked out in the AL Championship Series in 1996 and ’97. The Orioles (87-70) have only a remote chance of overtaking the Yankees (92-65) for the AL East title — they need to go 5-0 and the Yankees 0-5. But they hold a four-game lead for the top wild card, which would mean playing next week's best-of-three Wild Card Series at Camden Yards.

“I’m hopeful that our luck kind of evens out in the playoffs,” Elias said, "because last year we had the reverse."

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Baltimore Orioles' players celebrate after clinching a playoff berth by defeating the New York Yankees in baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)

Baltimore Orioles' players celebrate after clinching a playoff berth by defeating the New York Yankees in baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)

Baltimore Orioles' players drink from the hydration station after clinching a playoff berth by defeating the New York Yankees in baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)

Baltimore Orioles' Gunnar Henderson celebrates after the team clinched a playoff berth by defeating the New York Yankees in baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)

Baltimore Orioles' players celebrate after clinching a playoff berth by defeating the New York Yankees in baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)

Baltimore Orioles' players celebrate after clinching a playoff berth by defeating the New York Yankees in baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)

Baltimore Orioles' Jackson Holliday holds a bottle of a nonalcoholic beverage during post-game celebrations after the team clinched a playoff berth by defeating the New York Yankees in baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in New York. Holliday is the only member of the Orioles not of legal drinking age. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)

Baltimore Orioles' Jackson Holliday is doused with beer as teammates celebrate after clinching a playoff berth by defeating the New York Yankees in baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)