It took losing yet another series to the rival Baltimore Orioles, but the Yankees avoided the sweep and finally clinched the AL East with a 10-1 victory on Thursday evening.
Gerrit Cole tossed 6.2 shutout innings with five strikeouts, and Giancarlo Stanton led the way with a home run and four total RBI. Team captain and likely MVP Aaron Judge also added his MLB-leaded 58th home run of the season.
The Yankees can now breathe easy. They have secured a first round bye and only have a weekend series with the Pittsburgh Pirates remaining.