Yankees Dominate Wild Card Over A’s, Aaron Judge Sends Message

The New York Yankees and Aaron Judge were bred for the American League Wild Card game. 

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Judge led the Yankees to a 7-2 thrashing of the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday night in the Wild Card Game. He reached base three times, picking up two extra-base hits and a walk. He stepped up to bat, took the A’s “opener” deep, and neither he nor the Yankees looked back. In his first at-bat, Judge blasted a two-run shot into left field with Andrew McCutchen on base, giving the Yankees an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. 

Luis Severino got the nod as the Wild Card starter, the same role he took last year against the Minnesota Twins. A’s hitters loaded the bases a few times, which Severino dismissed, and was visibly exuberant. “I would say satisfaction,” Severino said about his exertion. “It was a big inning, (runners on) bases can get a tie game or even worse. So it was really big.”

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Severino cruised through the first, something he struggled with last year. He took a no-hitter into the fifth, but struggled on his way to it. Tensions were high when in the fifth inning, Severino allowed two men on base and was pulled in favor of Dellin Betances.

Betances retired the runners with ease, which transitioned into a momentous finish for the Yankees. Judge commanded a scoring eruption in the sixth inning, doubling down the right field line on the second pitch off of Fernando Rodney. 

Judge’s double was followed up by another from Aaron Hicks to right center, prompting a change at the mound for the A’s. All-Star reliever Blake Treinen entered and walked Giancarlo Stanton, and faced the second-year big-leaguer Luke Voit. The game’s final dagger came right off Voit’s bat, a triple into right, the first of his career. Voit slid dramatically into home plate off of a sacrifice fly from Didi Gregorious, running the score up to six.

Before Wednesday’s game, Treinen had given up two earned runs combined over his final 30 appearances dating back to July 14, the entire second half of the MLB. He’ll likely receive many votes for the Cy Young as well. 

Khris Davis hit his 49th home run of the season off of Zach Britton in the eighth, driving in Jed Lowrie to bring the score to within four. Remarkably, 20 of Davis’ league-leading 49 homers came after the seventh inning. The scare concluded after Britton escaped the inning with another runner on base.

Stanton demolished a solo shot to lead off the bottom of the eighth, destroying the final pitch of the night from Treinen and driving the scoring column to seven for the Yanks.

The Bombers’ bats and fast-twitch defense flexed their muscles all over what was a formidable Oakland team, a preview to what could be a bloodbath when New York takes a visit up to Boston for game one of the AL Division Series on Friday.