Yankees clinch playoffs spot as Judge chases history

NEW YORK – Aaron Judge turned around a fastball in the ninth inning, and the already-standing crowd of 43,123 at Yankee Stadium erupted in noise, wondering, hoping he had hit a record-tying 61st home run and clinched a playoff berth with one mighty swing.

Seconds later, groans arose in unison. Kiké Hernández made the catch a step in front of the fence, 404 feet from the plate.

Judge remained one shy of the American League record set by New York slugger Roger Maris in 1961. But the Yankees did accomplish goal No. 1: Josh Donaldson’s 10th-innng RBI single gave them a 5-4 win over the Boston Red Sox and clinched their sixth straight playoff berth and 24th in 28 years.

Coming within a few feet of his fourth walk-off home run this year, Judge went without a long ball for the second straight game since hitting No. 60 to match Babe Ruth’s 1927 season.

Judge has 13 games remaining. He walked three times and struck out once before his drive off Matt Barnes just to the right of straightaway center.

Meanwhile, baseball history is on the horizon as Judge approaches Roger Maris’ American League record of 61 home runs with 13 games remaining.

The New York Yankees outfielder came one step closer Tuesday night with his 60th home run of the year against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Yankees outfielder has had an outstanding season at the plate, batting .316 and logging 128 RBIs. He is one of the reasons New York is among MLB’s elite entering the stretch run.

Judge needs only two home runs to break Maris’ 1961 record -- a mark that has stood for six decades and, until Mark McGwire hit 70 in 1998, was the single-season record for all MLB.

Deportivo Cali’s trip to Cortulua on Wednesday descended into chaos in the 81st minute of play when a large group of fans poured out onto the pitch at the Estadio Doce de Octubre. Supporters - most of whom were said to be Deportivo Cali fans began verbally and physically abusing players and staff. While some players were able to flee to safety, others were not so lucky as they couldn’t get off the pitch in time. Manager, Mayer Candelo was also said to be injured during the attacks, security - who along with police - struggled to deal with the pitch invaders. Deportivo Cali have since released an official statement to request that the local authorities intervene to prevent a similar incident from happening again in the future.

(Pic: Espn.com)