Aaron Judge got the party started with a two-run homer in the first inning, Luis Severino atoned for flopping in his post-season debut last year and the New York Yankees beat the Oakland Athletics 7-2 Wednesday night in the AL wild-card game.
Judge’s drive off starter-turned reliever Liam Hendriks got New York going, and the Yankees cruised into the AL Division Series. They’ll face the rival Boston Red Sox in the post-season for the first time since the 2004 AL Championship Series. Game 1 is Friday at Fenway Park.
Late-season spark Luke Voit added a two-run triple in the sixth off closer Blake Treinen, setting off one of the boisterous Bronx celebrations that used to be an October staple. Giancarlo Stanton added a towering drive that just stayed fair in the eighth off Treinen in his post-season debut.
For Oakland, it was just the latest letdown in a decades-long stretch of disappointment. The A’s have lost eight straight winner-take-all post-season games since beating Willie Mays and the New York Mets in Game 7 of the 1973 World Series, and dropped all four of their post-season matchups against the Yankees.