NEW YORK — With an autumnal chill within the air, Tuesday had the entire makings of a particular night at Yankee Stadium, the house staff only one victory away from clinching the American League East.
Knicks star Josh Hart tossed a ceremonial first pitch, carrying pinstripes to honor his great-uncle, Yankees nice Elston Howard. Bernie Williams strummed an electrical guitar to carry out the nationwide anthem, and even John Sterling was again within the broadcast sales space, freshly out of retirement for the postseason push.
Sure, Aaron Choose mentioned he anticipated the ambiance to be “rocking.” The captain did his half, belting his Main League-leading 56th residence run, however a 5-3 loss to the Orioles ensured that the Yankees must wait no less than yet another day to pop any bottles.
“That’s step No. 1 for us,” Choose mentioned. “Getting within the postseason is an enormous step, however we’re at all times out right here attempting to hunt a division. That is the hardest division in baseball. To have the ability to say that we’re division champs will likely be nice, however we’ll discuss it extra after we get there.”
As a substitute, it was the O’s who celebrated, spraying bubbly and beer in a plastic-wrapped guests’ clubhouse to toast their official entry into the postseason. Baltimore’s win, mixed with the Twins’ loss to Miami, assures the Orioles of no less than an American League Wild Card.
“We needed to return and get it executed tonight,” supervisor Aaron Boone mentioned. “Credit score to them; they held us down, and we simply couldn’t play catchup fairly sufficient.”
Choose’s fourth-inning blast off Dean Kremer marked his third consecutive sport with a house run, the fifth time he has executed so this season.
There have been chants of “M-V-P!” heard as Choose rounded the bases, with the star placing the ending touches on a season that sees him pacing the American League in quite a few offensive classes – homers, RBIs (139), on-base share (.459), slugging share (.699), OPS (1.158), walks (130), extra-base hits (93) and whole bases (383).
“It’s been all season; I don’t know what to say,” Choose mentioned.
The Yankees have had solely 5 single-season performances of extra homers than Choose’s 56: Choose hit an AL-record 62 homers in 2022, surpassing Roger Maris’ mark of 61 homers in 1961. Babe Ruth hit 60 in 1927 and 59 in 1921.
However the Yanks couldn’t muster extra till the seventh, when Gleyber Torres knocked in Anthony Rizzo with a ground-rule double. Juan Soto adopted with a run-scoring single to proper area, however Torres was tagged out in a rundown as he scampered again towards third base, a play that short-circuited a possibility to ship Choose to the plate.
“I’ve to be extra aggressive if I’m going to make that call,” Torres mentioned. “That’s going to be my mistake.”
Making his fourth begin since being activated from the injured listing, Clarke Schmidt was touched for 3 runs over 5 1/3 innings, together with Anthony Santander’s forty fourth homer of the season, which clanged off the right-field foul pole on Schmidt’s one hundredth and ultimate pitch.
Ramón Urías and Colton Cowser additionally went deep for the O’s, with Boone saying, “We simply didn’t preserve them within the yard.”
Schmidt has pitched to a 2.61 ERA throughout 20 2/3 innings this month, limiting opponents to eight runs (six earned). He has struck out 21 and walked six towards 19 hits, and whereas it has but to be determined how he will likely be used within the postseason, Schmidt mentioned that he’s able to contribute as a starter or reliever.
“We’ve got a really proficient pitching employees,” Schmidt mentioned. “I feel simply to have the ability to be on the roster and be capable to put on this uniform within the playoffs is an honor to me. Regardless of the function is, nonetheless I may also help them win, whether or not it’s me or anyone else — when the postseason comes round, it’s all arms on deck.”
Having secured a postseason berth throughout their current West Coast highway journey to Seattle and Oakland, the Yankees can clinch the AL East with yet another victory over Baltimore, proudly owning a five-game lead within the division with 5 regular-season video games remaining.
Earlier than considered one of his at-bats, Choose advised catcher Adley Rutschman that he expects the Yankees and Orioles to proceed enjoying necessary video games into October.
“You need to go towards groups like that; you need to play the most effective,” Choose mentioned. “I feel it’s going to be backwards and forwards the remainder of this collection. I used to be even speaking with Rutschman at residence [plate] that we’ll be seeing [them] later down the highway. I stay up for it.”
