Yankees beat Blue Jays for AL East title, Judge stuck at 60 homers

Sept. 28 (UPI) — Gleyber Torres drove in three and starter Jameson Taillon allowed two runs over 7 and 1/3 innings in a 5-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, clinching the American League East division title for the New York Yankees.

First baseman Anthony Rizzo and outfielder Aaron Hicks also drove in runs in the victory Tuesday at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge failed to hit a home run for the seventh-consecutive game and remains stuck at 60 on the season, one behind Roger Maris’ single-season franchise record.

“What a year it has been so far,” Judge said. “We are definitely not done, but this is a great first step to the ultimate goal: going out there and winning the World Series.”

Judge went 0 for 1 with four walks and two runs scored. Catcher Kyle Higashioka scored two runs and Hicks scored the Yankees’ other run. Higashioka went 3 for 4 in the win.

Veteran outfielder George Springer led off the bottom of the first with his 24th home run of the season, giving the Blue Jays an early edge.

The Yankees then poured it on, with five unanswered over the next five innings. Rizzo drove in Higashioka for the first Yankees run with an RBI single in the third. Torres plated Judge with another single in the same frame.

Torres drove in Judge again with an RBI single in the fifth. Hicks plated Higashioka with an RBI double in the sixth. Torres hit another RBI single in the sixth, bringing HIcks home for a 5-1 Yankees lead.

Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. plated the final run of the game with an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth.

Guerrero went 1 for 4 in the loss. Springer went 2 for 4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Blue Jays starter Jose Berrios allowed nine hits and five runs over 5 1/3 innings to drop to 11-7 this season.

Tallion allowed seven hits and issued six strikeouts, in addition to his two earned runs, to improve to 14-5. Yankees closer Lou Trivino allowed one hit over the final 1 2/3 innings to earn his 11th save of the season.

The Blue Jays (87-68) will host the Yankees (95-59) in the series finale at 7:07 p.m. EDT Wednesday at Rogers Centre.

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