Gerrit Kool And Giancarlo Stanton set the tone for the Yankees with playoff-caliber performances and Aaron Judge added his MLB-leading 58th home run as New York clinched the AL East in its 10-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday.

Takeaways

1. Cole is in playoff mode. The Yankees needed their ace to perform, and they got an excellent performance from him. In 6.2 scoreless IP, Cole (8-5, 3.41) allowed two hits while striking out five and walking one on 101 pitches (64 strikes).

Thursday’s start follows last Friday’s complete game at the Oakland A’s, when he yielded one run on two hits while fanning seven and allowing one free pass. Cole’s performance on September 14 against the Boston Red Sox, highlighted by a season-worst seven runs allowed and three batters hit, raised concerns. He has since responded with authority and proven that his A’s gem was no fluke.

Next stop: Game 1 of the ALDS, possibly against the Orioles.

2. Is Stanton warming up at the right time? New York certainly hopes so after the slugger blasted a solo home run in the second inning, his 27th long ball of the year, to give Cole and the Yankees a 1-0 lead. Four frames later, Stanton’s bases-clearing double buried the Orioles as New York’s 5–0 lead increased. In the event of an offense where judge and Juan Soto having done so much of the heavy lifting, Stanton is a potential X-factor for the Yankees heading into October.

3. Judge’s fifth straight game with a home run came with the Yankees leading 7-0, but the AL MVP front-runner is clearly not letting up. His MLB-leading 144th RBI capped New York’s blowout and sent a message of no mercy to Baltimore with the postseason approaching.

4. The Yankees went 5-8 against the Orioles in 2024, saving one of three games before the season finale. After New York’s ninth-inning comeback fell short in Wednesday’s 9-7 loss, the momentum clearly shifted to Thursday. Will the trend continue in a potential ALDS rematch?

Who is the MVP?

Stanton, who put the Yankees ahead and put the game away en route to four RBI.

Highlights

What’s next

The Yankees (93-66) close their regular season with a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates (74-85).

South Paw of New York Carlos Rodon (16-9, 3.98 ERA) and Pittsburgh right-hander Jared Jones (6-8, 4.14 ERA) will start Friday’s 7:05 p.m. opener.