Rob Issa, FISM News
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Aaron Judge enjoyed a team party with the New York Yankees while hoping for another celebration.
Judge walked four times as the Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-2 Tuesday night to clinch their first AL East division championship since 2019.
Judge remained stuck on 60 homers, one away from tying Roger Maris’ American League record.
”I’ll take four walks for a win every day,” Judge said.
The Yankees secured a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the AL Division Series while earning their 20th division title. They have captured 40 American League pennants, and 27 World Series championships, both of which are MLB records.
“We knew this was coming, but it’s only step one,” Judge said.
New York has an 8 1/2-game lead in the division and has been in first place since April 27.
The Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays are behind the Yankees and in line to make the postseason. The fourth-place Baltimore Orioles also have a winning record and are competing for a playoff berth.
“We can say we’re the best team in the best division this year, and it wasn’t easy,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “We took everyone’s punches. We had some low moments but (winning the division) is to be celebrated. It’s not easy going through the American League East and surviving.”
Judge is having an MVP-caliber season for the Yankees. He’s batting .314 with 128 RBIs to go with his 60 homers. Judge has a slim lead of .001 over Luis Arraez in the batting race as he chases the Triple Crown.
Judge has not hit a homerun in seven-straight games since tying Babe Ruth’s career-best of 60.
He has walked 11 times in 30 plate appearances since the last homer.
“It’s just awesome to see the discipline and the consistency of the at-bats while he’s going through this with all the attention around it,” Boone said. ”I keep saying he’ll get there, he’ll get it, but to see him rack up quality at-bat after quality at-bat is impressive.”
The Yankees have eight games remaining for Judge to surpass Maris. However, they have already won the division and locked up a bye, so Boone has to consider resting the superstar to avoid injury before the postseason.
Barry Bonds holds the major league record for homers in a season with 73, set in 2001.
The Yankees were the third team in the AL to secure a division crown. The Houston Astros won the West and the Cleveland Guardians captured the Central. The Blue Jays, Rays, and Seattle Mariners are currently holding wild-card spots.
In the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers won the West and the St. Louis Cardinals are on the verge of taking the Central. But the NL East remains up for grabs as the Atlanta Braves have tied the New York Mets. The San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies hold the final two wild-card spots.
The defending World Series champion Braves are guaranteed the No. 2 playoff seed in the National League if they finish ahead of the Mets.
Atlanta was 23-27 and trailed New York by 10 1/2 games on June 1. The Braves host the Mets in a three-game series this weekend.
“The hope is to win tomorrow and then the hope is to have a good series against New York this weekend,” outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. said through a translator after hitting two solo homers in an 8-2 win over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night. “The division is on the line.”