Judge belts two homers as Yankees top White Sox to tie AL East

Aaron Judge belted his 50th and 51st homers of the season as the New York Yankees rolled to an 8-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night. The win, paired with the Boston Red Sox’ win in Toronto, left New York and Toronto tied atop the AL East with four games remaining. Toronto holds the tiebreaker over the Yankees, so New York sits essentially a game back with four to play—one against Chicago and three against Baltimore.

Max Fried worked seven innings, allowing one run on four hits and two walks, and he finished with a 2.86 ERA across 195 1/3 innings in his first season in pinstripes. He will be the Yankees' Game 1 starter in their upcoming postseason series. The club has shown improved defense and a deeper, more productive lineup, fueling a late-season surge that has included seven wins in eight games and 21 of 29 since a mid-season skid.

Judge delivered the go-ahead three-run homer in the bottom of the second after a first-pitch sinker from Jonathan Cannon, giving the Yankees a 3-1 lead. He completed the night with back-to-back homers, tagging Trent Grisham in the eighth as the crowd of 37,751 chanted MVP repeatedly through the final inning.

Boone said after the game that Tuesday’s champagne celebration reminded the team of the bigger picture and that focus remains on finishing strong. The win extended New York’s late-season surge and reaffirmed the club’s playoff aspirations as it chases its division rival down the stretch.

With four games left, the Yankees sit a game behind the AL East-leading Blue Jays, who finish their series with the Red Sox and then host the Rays. New York will wrap up the Chicago series before traveling to Baltimore for three. Toronto’s tiebreaker status means the Yankees must both win and hope for help to seize the division title, but the mood in the clubhouse has shifted from relief to renewed momentum.

The result capped a productive stretch for the Yankees, who have rebuilt momentum behind sharper starting pitching and better defense. Fried’s performance in particular underscored the impact of a strengthened rotation, while Judge continued his pursuit of multiple milestones in what could be a landmark regular season. If Judge can add more to his total in the final four games, he could bolster a case for a third MVP award in five seasons.

As the team moves toward the postseason, the focus remains on execution and sustained winning rather than urgency in the moment. The run of solid performances has the Yankees positioned to capitalize on late-season momentum as they head toward October, with Fried expected to anchor the rotation and Judge continuing to carry a historically prolific pace.