Yankee try to clinch top seed vs Pirates at Yankee Stadium 9-27-24
A day after the Yankees won the American League East title, outfielder Aaron Judge was not in the lineup Friday night for a much-needed day off.
The last game Judge had off was on June 19 against the Orioles; that was both the last game he didn’t start and the last in which he didn’t appear at any point. Friday ended a streak of 83 games for Judge.
“I’ve been wanting to give him a day off, so I finally get him one here,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I’m planning on these [regulars playing] this weekend. But a few of them will get at least a day and go from there.”
But New York had a chance to clinch the top seed in the AL postseason because the Guardians lost to the Astros, 5-2. The Yankees were unable to capture the top spot because they lost to the Pirates, 4-2, at Yankee Stadium. New York needs one win or one Cleveland loss to have home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs. The Yankees will try to get that victory on Saturday, when they send rookie Luis Gil to the mound to face Pirates ace Paul Skenes