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Yankees pound A’s to win second straight wild-card game
LOS ANGELES, Oct 4, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton
blasted a pair of 400-foot home runs as the New York Yankees routed the
Oakland A’s 7-2 to book a date with their rivals the Boston Red Sox.
Judge got the scoring started on Wednesday with a two-run homer in the
first inning and Stanton, who was making his playoff debut, put the finishing
touches on the wild-card game blowout with a towering blast in the eighth.
“We love playing at home. We felt the energy. It’s on to Boston,” said
Judge.
Pitcher Luis Severino started his second straight wild-card game for the
Yankees, who beat the Minnesota Twins 8-4 last year.
Severino struggled in last year’s wild-card contest but it was a different
story this time around as the Yankees looked in control from the first
inning.
New York now travels to Boston for a best-of-five Division Series starting
Friday at Fenway Park against the first-place Red Sox.
Ask what it feels like to face the Red Sox again, Judge said, “It sounds
great. They got a fantastic team over there. We have to regroup and get ready
for a great series.”
Stanton’s homer in the eighth travelled a whopping 443 feet into the upper
deck.
Luke Voit delivered a two-run triple in a four-run sixth inning for the
Yankees, who set a Major League Baseball record for most home runs in a
season this year.
Liam Hendriks took the loss for the A’s as he gave up his first home run
since June 24. The Perth native had seven consecutive shutout starts of one
inning last month but the Yankees jumped on him quickly.
He walked leadoff batter Andrew McCutchen and then moments later Judge
belted a 427 foot homer into left field.
BSS/AFP/MR/ 1110 hrs