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The New York Yankees were officially crowned AL East champions on Tuesday-evening with a 5-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Yankees had already secured their sixth consecutive playoff spot in an extra-inning walk-off win against the Boston Red Sox last week.
However, Aaron Judge will have to wait longer for his own celebrations as he failed to match Roger Maris’ home run record.
New York Yankees took the AL East with a 5-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays Tuesday
However, Aaron Judge’s wait for home run No. 61 for typing records was extended in Toronto
Despite his homer drought continuing, the slugger celebrated his team’s win and title
Judge walked four and stayed on 60 home runs, one below Maris’ American League record, when the New York Yankees captured the AL East title by beating the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Yankees celebrated their 20th Division championship, tied for second with the Dodgers behind Atlanta’s 21, but no history of home runs. New York (95-59) secured a first-round bye and home field advantage in the Division Series.
Judge lined out in his first at bat, then walked four consecutive walks in his seventh straight game without a homerun. He has walked 11 in 30 at bats since hitting homer No. 60 against Pittsburgh last week.
Judge lined out in his first at bat, then pulled four straight walks in a row in his seventh straight game without a home run
All five of Judge’s at bats went to the full count – he saw 33 pitches, 14 strikes. His longest drought without a homerun this year was nine games in mid-August.
The Yankees have eight regular season games left for Judge to match or break Maris’ AL mark in 1961.
Judge’s batting average remained at .314 when he went 0 for 1. He started the day leading in all three AL Triple Crown categories.
Despite the loss, Toronto (87-68) maintained its place at the top of the AL wildcard standings.
Gleyber Torres had three basehits and batted in three runs to support Jameson Taillon (14-5).
The longest slugger drought without a home run this year was nine games in mid-August
Taillon threw 7 1/3 sharp innings, giving up two runs and five hits. He is 4-0 in five career starts in Toronto.
Lou Trivino took the field with runners on first and second base and caused George Springer to hit into an inning-ending double play on his first pitch.
Trivino finished in ninth for his first save with the Yankees and his 11th in 14 chances.
Kyle Higashioka had three hits and scored twice and Anthony Rizzo had two hits, as New York won for the eighth time in nine games.
Many in the crowd of 40,528 cheered when José Berríos (11-7) walked Judge in the third and fifth inning.
Rizzo’s RBI-single in the third scored Higashioka and moved Judge into second place. The New York slugger scored on a goal by Torres.
Toronto Blue Jays short stop Bo Bichette (right) forces Yankees’ Judge into second base
Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo (48) is caught stealing by Whit Merrifield (left)
Judge walked to start the fifth and took third on Rizzo’s bloop single before Torres rode him for the second time.
With Harrison Bader out of the grid, Judge moved from rightfield into midfield and picked up one of two Yankee outfield assists in the sixth.
Bader came on as a defensive substitute in the seventh, shifting Judge to the right.
Higashioka and Aaron Hicks chased Berríos with back-to-back doubles in the sixth to make it 4-1. Righthander Zach Pop faced Judge and took the lead 0-2 before finally walking an eight pitch, which led to more boos.
Blue Jays righthander David Phelps got ahead of Judge 1-2 with back-to-back swings and misses in the eighth, but three of the next four pitches were balls.
Springer homered on Taillon’s second pitch of the game, but the Yankees righthander retired 15 of the next 16 batters.
Springer’s home run was his 24th of the season and the 52nd leadoff homer of his career.
Taillon put down 10 straights after Whit Merrifield’s leadoff single in the third. Springer ended that streak with an one-out single in the sixth.
Josh Donaldson (28) throws to first base for the out on T Vladimir Guerrero Jr. during the ninth
Bo Bichette followed with a single to the middle and was faster than the throw to second base, but was called out after umpire Tripp Gibson ruled that Bichette did not have his foot on base while he was tagged by shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. followed with an RBI single, but was thrown out at second base by leftfielder Hicks, meaning Toronto’s rally ended with three consecutive hits.
Berríos gave up five runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings and lost his second consecutive appearance after an unbeaten streak of six starts. His ERA rose to 5.37.
Berríos struckout 1,000 career strikeouts when he caught Hicks looking to end the third.