The New York Yankees secured their 61st postseason berth on Monday night, defeating the Minnesota Twins 8-3 at Target Field. Aaron Judge hit his 18th home run of the season to cap a six-run eighth inning, while a simultaneous Blue Jays loss finalized the team’s playoff qualification.
Aaron Judge Breaks Slump and Yankees Rally at Target Field
Monday night’s game at Target Field featured a constant drizzle and a late-inning offensive explosion that carried New York past the Minnesota Twins. Trailing 2-1 in the eighth inning, the Yankees manufactured a six-run rally against Minnesota relievers Andrew Morris and A.J. Minter. George Lombard Jr. ignited the frame with a double, and José Caballero tied the game with a single up the middle. Ben Rice followed with a two-run, broken-bat bloop single before Judge crushed a 415-foot home run into the second deck in left field.
The milestone blast marked Judge’s first home run since May 24. The Yankees captain had struggled since returning to the lineup last week after missing 84 games due to a fractured rib, going 3 for 20 with 11 strikeouts during his initial stretch back on the field.
“Judge elicited a hearty roar from the large contingent of Yankee fans with his no-doubt drive.”
CBS News reporting team
Will Warren delivered a steady start for New York, holding the Twins in check until they knocked him out with two unearned runs in the sixth inning. Josh Bell homered off Tim Hill (5-2) and Emmanuel Rodriguez had a two-run triple for the Twins, who have lost eight of 11 while fading from postseason contention. José Caballero hit a go-ahead homer in the third inning and a single off Andrew Morris (4-8) that tied the score in the eighth. Austin Wells homered in the ninth, and John Schreiber earned his second save with 1 1/3 hitless innings as New York (87-63) won six of seven and moved a season-high 24 games over .500.
Securing Postseason Status and the AL East Title Chase
The playoff berth became official when the Toronto Blue Jays lost 6-5 to the Detroit Tigers, coinciding with the Yankees’ victory in Minnesota. The achievement marks New York’s third straight season and the eighth time in Aaron Boone’s nine years as manager that the Yankees have reached the postseason, as well as their 61st postseason berth and ninth in 10 seasons.
Once the champagne stops burning the Yankees’ eyes, manager Aaron Boone and the Yankees’ front office have to decide whether it’s smart to prioritize passing the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East or if they should decelerate, setting their sights on winning home-field advantage in the best-of-three wild-card round while learning everything they can about their evolving roster. Entering Monday, they were four games behind the Rays and had just a 9.6 percent chance of winning the division, according to FanGraphs. They were also 4 1/2 games ahead of the third-place Boston Red Sox, over whom they hold the tiebreaker. New York is 3 1/2 games behind AL East-leading Tampa Bay (90-59).
Roster Decisions and the Road Ahead Against Tampa Bay
Just 12 regular-season games remain for the Yankees. Four of them will come against the Rays at home, starting next Tuesday with a split doubleheader. The Yankees are 3-6 against Tampa Bay this season, and must sweep next week.
Despite being without star slugger Aaron Judge for over three months, the Yankees are back in the playoffs. The captain finally returned to the lineup on Sept. 8 against the Colorado Rockies, giving New York some much-needed firepower for the stretch run of the season after missing 84 games because of a fractured rib. The Yankees were 36-23 when Judge went down with a stress fracture in his rib at the end of May. During the three-time AL MVP’s absence, the Yankees stayed afloat by going 45-39 over the next three months, aided by third-year slugger Ben Rice enjoying a breakout campaign ranking seventh in the majors with 38 home runs, alongside trade deadline acquisition Luis Garcia Jr.
As the Yankees celebrate by soaking the walls and the carpet of the visitors clubhouse at Target Field with champagne and beer, they look toward the final stretch of the schedule with their 61st postseason berth secured.