Anthony Santander, Ramon Urias and Colton Cowser homered Tuesday night as the visiting Baltimore Orioles hung on for a 5-3 victory over the New York Yankees, who were unable to clinch the American League East title.
A short time later, the Orioles (87-70) clinched their second straight postseason berth when the Minnesota Twins lost 4-1 to the Miami Marlins. The Orioles hold a four-game lead for the top AL wild card with five games to play.
Baltimore’s Dean Kremer (8-10) allowed only one run, on Aaron Judge’s major-league-leading 56th homer, among three hits in five gritty innings. He walked two and struck out three before six relievers followed.
Seranthony Dominguez got the final two outs for his 11th save of the season, his 10th with the Orioles.
Santander broke an 0-for-11 skid by hitting his 44th homer of the season with one out in the sixth. His drive clanged off the right field foul pole to give Baltimore a 3-1 lead and chase New York starter Clarke Schmidt (5-5).
Urias, who appeared in his second game since missing three weeks with a sprained right ankle, padded the lead by opening the seventh with a drive to right-center off lefty Tim Mayza. It was his 11th long ball of the year.
Cowser gave the Orioles an insurance run by slugging his 23rd homer into the right field bleachers to start the eighth against Ian Hamilton.
Santander also factored in Baltimore’s second run. He opened the fourth by drawing a walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on Ryan O’Hearn’s single for a 2-0 lead.
O’Hearn hit a ground-rule double in the second when the Orioles scored their first run on a groundout by Heston Kjerstad.
Judge hit Kremer’s full-count splitter into the left field seats to open the fourth, but the Yankees (92-65) had their magic number to clinch a second division title in three seasons remain at one.
Gleyber Torres had three hits for New York. He delivered an RBI ground-rule double in the seventh off Yennier Cano but ended the inning in a rundown between third and home after Soto’s RBI single got the Yankees within 4-3.
