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Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Volpe hit home runs and the Yankees beat the A’s
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Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Volpe hit home runs and the Yankees beat the A’s

OAKLAND, Calif. — In their final series at the Coliseum, the Yankees spent Saturday throwing a few final souvenirs into the stands.

Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Volpe all hit monster shots that totaled 396 yards to spark an offensive surge.

In a stadium that has long served as a football field, the Yankees scored a touchdown and kicked a field goal and moved ever closer to winning the AL East with a 10-0 victory over the A’s.

Aaron Judge hits a solo home run, his 54th of the season, in the seventh inning of the Yankees’ 10-0 win over the A’s on September 21, 2024. Cary Edmondson-Images

“These guys are really unbelievable,” said Carlos Rodon, who threw six strong innings to earn his 16th win of the season — the third-most in the major leagues. “I mean, this lineup is special. They’re all great hitters. That makes it easy for me to pitch.”

With that win and the Orioles’ loss on Saturday, the Yankees (91-64) have secured a five-game lead at the top of the standings with seven games remaining, cutting their magic number for the AL East title to three. They are also 1 ¹/₂ games ahead of the Guardians for the AL’s best record, giving them home-field advantage in the playoffs.

“We’re in a great position,” Stanton said. “We still have work to do, but we’re good for what we have now.”

The Yankees’ 15th game of the season with double-digit scores was more than enough run support for Rodon, who had to maneuver through some crowding to record his fifth scoreless appearance of the season.

The left-hander managed five hits and a walk, continuing his solid run into October and lowering his ERA to 3.98 in his 31st start of the year.

Anthony Volpe looks skyward after hitting a solo home run in the Yankees’ win. Getty Images

Rodon, who said he was most pleased with his confidence in September, when he posted a 1.93 ERA, described himself as a “little fanboy” watching his teammates hit home runs.

“It’s cool – and it’s cool to watch him pitch,” Stanton said. “He got his 16th win tonight, another dominant performance. It’s great when we can lift each other up like that.”

Judge’s home run was his 54th of the season, a 425-foot solo hit in the seventh inning that gave the Yankees a 7-0 lead.

Giancarlo Stanton rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the third inning of the Yankees’ win. Cary Edmondson-Images

Eleven years after taking batting practice with the Yankees at the Coliseum as a 21-year-old freshly selected in the first round of the draft, Judge continued his historic season.

Along with Babe Ruth, he was only the second Yankee to hit at least 54 home runs in two seasons.

Meanwhile, Volpe and Stanton’s home runs were encouraging signs for two of the Yankees’ most inconsistent hitters.

Carlos Rodon, who pitched six scoreless innings, picked up his 16th win of the season. ary Edmondson-Images

There is often no middle ground between good and bad for the duo, but when the Yankees have players like Stanton and Volpe in their ranks at the same time, their lineup becomes all the deeper and more dangerous.

Entering this series, Volpe had gone just 5 of 44 (.114) without extra-base hits in his last 13 games.

But he hit three hits on Friday, and he stayed hot on Saturday, hitting a 421-foot solo home run in the second inning – the longest of his career – to take a 3-0 lead against former Yankees left-hander JP Sears.

It was Volpe’s first home run since August 3, after going 41 games without hitting one.

“I feel like he’s getting more and more positioned,” manager Aaron Boone said. “I feel like he’s standing behind the ball a little better, whereas for a couple of weeks he was just drifting through the ball and pushing the ball a little bit. Now I feel like he’s standing behind the ball with a little more authority. “It also makes you make better swing decisions because you’re able to stop the throws you should. Hopefully he can keep that up and build on it because it’s been a really good couple of days of at-bats for him.”

Stanton had been just as cold lately.

After suffering a double play in the first inning on Saturday (which brought in a run from third base), he is 5-for-42 in his last two games, including six strikeouts.

But in true Stanton fashion, he managed to get out of his slump and hit a 441-foot three-run shot against Sears in the third inning to make it 6-0.

“I kept the pressure on and then Big G let the air out of the building with one of his Big G punches,” Boone said. “Then (Rodon) went from there.”

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