Aaron Judge Homers as Yankees Clinch Record 61st Postseason Berth in Win Over Twins

The New York Yankees clinched their 61st postseason berth on Monday night following an 8-3 victory against the Minnesota Twins.

The New York Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins 8-3 on Monday night to clinch a record 61st postseason berth, their ninth appearance in the last 10 years. During a six-run eighth inning, Aaron Judge hit a three-run home run off A.J. Minter to extend the New York lead to 7-2. The playoff spot was officially secured while Spencer Jones was at the plate with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, triggered by a Toronto loss to Detroit that guaranteed the Yankees at least an American League wild card position.

Judge’s home run was his first since May 24, ending a 3-for-20 stretch with 11 strikeouts since his return from a fractured rib. The Yankees captain missed 84 games due to the right rib stress fracture, an injury that saw the team’s scoring average drop from 5.17 runs per game with him in the lineup to 3.93 runs per game during his absence. New York entered the contest with a 40-24 record in games featuring Judge compared to 46-39 without him.

The victory leaves New York 3½ games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the AL East lead. The club is currently seeking its first World Series title since 2009 despite having 18 players land on the injured list this season, including second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., who suffered a sprained right thumb last week. Manager Aaron Boone noted that Judge had previously been swinging at the correct pitches and avoiding chases during his fine-tuning process following the three-month layoff.