OAKLAND, Calif. — In his final game at the Coliseum, Aaron Judge played the Emperor as the Yankees all but took control of the East.
As he took the field for the last time in a stadium that holds special meaning for him before the A’s moved to Sacramento and eventually Las Vegas, the Northern California native added another chapter to his special season.
Judge hit a home run for the second straight day to extend his major league lead to 55. He added a double that started a comeback and scored another run that helped the Yankees to a 7-4 sweep of the A’s on Sunday afternoon in front of 24,663 fans.
“Finishing with a sweep is my favorite thing,” Judge said after going 2-for-3 with two walks.
Jasson Dominguez and Gleyber Torres also hit home runs as the Yankees (92-64) flew home just short of winning the division.
After an off day on Monday, they need just a win over the Orioles during their three-game series that begins Tuesday in the Bronx to secure the AL East.
The Yankees enter the series with a season-high six games ahead of the Orioles with six games remaining, dropping their magic number to win the division to one.
“We’re focused,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Everyone in this room knows what’s at stake, what the mission is, where we are on the calendar and the opportunity ahead of us. I think the guys are ready to do what we need to do to win games and give ourselves a chance in October.”
The Yankees also have the magic number three (2¹/₂ games ahead of the Guardians) to secure the best record in the American League, which would give them home-field advantage in the ALCS.
Sunday’s victory capped a 5-1 road trip that also saw the Yankees clinch a postseason berth in Seattle on Wednesday after going 12-3 on their two West Coast trips this season.
“We’re playing well on the road,” Judge said after the Yankees finished the regular season 50-31 on the road – their most road wins since 2003. “To come out here 5-1 is great, especially going into the last home game. The magic number is down to one. Let’s just go about our business now.”
Things got interesting late Sunday when Clay Holmes came on in the eighth inning to protect a 6-4 lead and get the first two runners on the field before getting an out.
Boone then called on Luke Weaver, who got out of the jam with two strikeouts and completed his save with five outs in the ninth inning – his fourth of the season.
Luis Gil was not at his best, allowing four runs on five hits and three walks in five ¹/₃ innings.
He left the field in the sixth inning with two runners on base and a 5-2 lead, but both runs came when Ian Hamilton allowed a double to pinch hitter Ryan Noda.
But the Yankees gave Gil enough run support to record his 15th win after he was added to the rotation late in spring training to replace the injured Gerrit Cole.
“I’m extremely happy and satisfied with it,” Gil said through an interpreter. “When you think about winning 15 games, I wanted to come to training camp and help this team as much as I could. So it’s a great feeling, a great experience.”
The score was tied 2-2 in the third inning when Judge, a native of Linden (about 80 miles from the Coliseum), hit a solo hit to center field against right-hander Joey Estes for a 3-2 lead.
Judge took batting practice here in 2013, shortly after the Yankees drafted him in the first round, and now ended his career in style at the Coliseum.
“It’s definitely sad,” said Judge, who hit four home runs in nine games after going 16 games without a single home run, a career high. “I have a lot of great memories here as a player. I was here a couple times as a kid, so I’ll reminisce a little bit. But there’s a lot of history in this building.
“A lot of special players have played here and to get the chance to be on the same field and do something is definitely something I will not forget.”
