BALTIMORE — The Yankees and Orioles’ benches-clearing madness Friday night avoided any fisticuffs. But the Yankees spent Saturday throwing punches with their bats to finally knock down the Orioles, win back-to-back games and a series for the first time in a month, and climb back into a tie for first place in the AL East. Austin Wells delivered the first haymaker with a three-run homer in the first inning before Juan Soto and Aaron Judge went back-to-back in the fifth.
Along with six strong innings from Luis Gil, it was more than enough to lift the Yankees to a 6-1 win over the Orioles on a sticky and sweltering day at Camden Yards in front of a sellout crowd of 44,018. As rough as things have gone for the Yankees (58-39) since the last time they won a series before Saturday — June 10-13 against the Royals — they now have a chance to enter the All-Star break in first place of the division if they can finish off a sweep of the Orioles (57-38) on Sunday. The Yankees had gone 0-7-1 in eight series since clinching a four-game set over the Royals, including their second series loss of the season against the Orioles.
During that skid, they went 6-17 while their 3 1⁄2-game lead atop the division evaporated into a two-game deficit behind the Orioles. But the Yankees now finally have some momentum on their side, winning three of their last four and responding to Friday’s late-game chaos — set off by Clay Holmes’ 97 mph sinker hitting Heston Kjerstad in the ninth inning .
