The New York Yankees are AL East champions again, clinching the division for the 20th time in franchise history and their first since 2019 following a 5-2 win on the road in Toronto over the Blue Jays on Tuesday night. On top of sealing up the division, they officially claimed home-field advantage in the ALDS and also will get a first-round bye as well. Gleyber Torres played the role of hero in the outing, getting three RBI hits in the contest while James Taillon racked up his 14th win of the year by going into the eighth and conceding just the two runs. Aaron Judge, still stuck on 60 homers for the season, was walked four times in the contest, but he said he’d happily take that in exchange for a victory.
Elsewhere, the Atlanta Braves got two home runs from Ronald Acuna, Jr. in Washington as they defeated the Nationals 8-2 after falling behind early to the hosts. As a result of the win, along with the loss of the Mets to Miami, the defending World Series champions are once again level at the top of the NL East. Much is riding on this, with home-field advantage in the NLDS and a first-round bye on the line. The two clubs will play a three-game set Friday through Sunday in the ATL, and it could be determined then. The Tampa Bay Rays also edged closer to locking up a spot in the AL Wild Card round as they beat the Guardians 6-5 in 11 frames in Cleveland. Harold Ramirez’s two-run double, part of a three-RBI night, was enough to propel them to the win and a five-game cushion over the Orioles. The St. Louis Cardinals, meanwhile, won the NL Central on Tuesday via a 6-2 in Milwaukee.
