MINNEAPOLIS — The Yankees reached October on a night that first looked more like a warning than a celebration.
They committed three errors, trailed Minnesota late and spent much of Monday searching for the hit that would change the mood at Target Field. Then the Yankees scored six times in the eighth and beat the Twins 8-3.
Jose Caballero tied the game with an eighth-inning single after Minnesota had moved ahead 2-1. Ben Rice followed with a two-run bloop single, Cody Bellinger reached on an infield hit and Aaron Judge drove an A.J. Minter cutter 415 feet into the second deck in left field for a three-run homer that made it 7-2.
The blast was Judge’s first home run since May 24 and his first since returning from the injured list Sept. 7 after missing 84 games with a right rib stress fracture.
The Yankees improved to 87-63 and secured the franchise’s 61st postseason appearance, their ninth in 10 seasons. Toronto’s loss to Detroit formally clinched the berth before New York finished its comeback. The Yankees also extended a 34-year streak of winning seasons, but the franchise has not won a championship since 2009. New York entered Tuesday 3 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East with 12 games left, including four against the Rays at Yankee Stadium from Sept. 22-24. The division race and postseason seeding remain unresolved.
Judge turns a clincher into a Yankees standard
Only after the final out did Aaron Judge define what the night meant. He tied it directly to the decision he made after the 2022 season, when he stayed with the Yankees on a nine-year, $360 million contract after drawing serious interest from San Francisco.
“Why I came back to New York in 2023 is to get an opportunity to win a World Series every single year. We got a special group here, special guys that are playing for each other, we just continue to get better. Excited to get back to the postseason. We’re gonna celebrate tonight but we know what’s ahead of us. We got a lot of work to do,” Judge said.
Judge had entered Monday 3-for-20 with 11 strikeouts since returning from the injured list. His homer gave him 18 for the season. Still, he framed the Yankees’ chances more broadly.
“The group we have, you get us in there [the playoffs], anything can happen. I like our chances,” Judge said.
The numbers behind Judge’s confidence
Since Judge returned, New York is 6-1 and has outscored opponents 39-26 through Monday, according to the club’s game log. That run includes a sweep of Colorado, two wins in three against the Mets and Monday’s comeback in Minnesota.
Baseball-Reference listed the Yankees with a 3.24 team ERA through their first 149 games, the best mark in MLB at that point. Warren then gave up only two unearned runs Monday, again keeping the game close enough for the lineup to take over late.
Wells said the Yankees believe that staff can carry them through October.
“I think we have the best pitching staff in the league. We’ve been riding them all year… I got all the belief in the world that they’re going to take us all the way,” Wells said.
Judge also pointed to what Monday’s three-error comeback revealed.
“There’s a lot of grit in this team,” Judge said.
October pressure follows the clincher
The AL East remains open because the Yankees and Rays still have four head-to-head games, including a Sept. 22 doubleheader created by a May rainout.
Cam Schlittler also pointed to the remaining head-to-head games with Tampa Bay as evidence the division is still within reach.
“I think we’ve played them very well this year. We still got a shot to win the division. We just got to stay on this, take the momentum into the next few days and into Arizona,” Schlittler said.
Aaron Boone acknowledged the difficulty without conceding the race.
“It’s an uphill battle, without question. Tampa’s obviously playing great. But baseball’s a funny game,” Boone said.
Warren described the berth as the minimum expected from the roster.
“When we’re at full strength, I feel like we’re unstoppable. I think we’re a really good team. We’re looking to do more. This is the baseline. This is what we’re expected to do. So it’s continuing to move forward and push the needle,” Warren said.
Cam Schlittler’s 1.95 ERA leads the majors, and the rookie has become a front-line postseason option. He made clear that clinching changes little about the larger goal.
“Obviously job’s not done,” Schlittler said. “It’s a great feeling. Playoff baseball is special. Being able to experience that a little bit last year is a great feeling. Taking the experience out there from last year into this season, I’m very comfortable going out there and trying to help this team win games.”
Judge’s return changes the Yankees’ October equation
Bellinger viewed Judge’s first homer back as something inevitable after the captain’s slow first week.
“It was only a matter of time,” Bellinger said. “He’s the best hitter on the planet.”
The Yankees have reached October again, but Judge’s postgame message removed any temptation to treat the berth as the destination. The Yankees have another chance to end a World Series drought that dates to 2009, and their captain has publicly defined the standard. What do you think? Leave your comment below.
