When everyone expected Aaron Judge to continue hitting big strides to keep the New York Yankees in the game against the Kansas City Royals, it was the superhuman efforts from Austin Wells and Alex Verdugo who stepped up well to deliver a promising 10-4 comeback victory as the Yankees opened up their series against one of their American League rivals.

The Yankees were definitely in trouble in the game as the team entered the seventh inning down 4-3. The club was on the verge of losing the top seed to the Baltimore Orioles at the time, and they were just a win-and-a-half ahead of their rivals. The Yankees went on to outscore the Royals in the closing moments and secured a much-needed victory.

In the win, the Yankees have now surpassed their previous season’s win total and has moved ahead of the Orioles in the top-spot race once more. However, they are still slated to face the Royals one more time following today’s 5-0 loss heading into their third clash against their rivals.

Heroics in the Clutch

New York was initially down at 0-4 before Alex Verdugo managed to pull off a big home run in the fourth inning, marking his 12th home run of the season and his first since August 24. That ignited the offense for the Yankees but they could not capitalize on their opportunities until the seventh inning.

After Judge nailed the first clutch hit in the seventh, Wells came up with his 13th homer of the season, sending the ball into the bleachers at the deep right field to take the lead. Wells would later load more of his massive game as he came up with a two-out RBI double coming off the left-field wall. That capped off the Yankees’ scoring for the night as the latter finished with 2-5 on hits and four RBIs.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone was pleased with the win, and claimed that Wells was definitely perfect in his game so far. Wells’ 404-foot drive was his seventh in his last 37 games since July 21.

“He’s been a middle of the order hitter for two, three months now and I think we’ve all seen that, witnessed that,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Whether you get a result or not it’s the just the level of the at-bat that he gives you from the left side is impressive and that was a no doubter tonight.”

Race to the Finish

The Yankees are expected to be locked in a tight race in the American League East with the Baltimore Orioles, and it does seem that it will be a promising showdown as the two clubs battle it down to the wire with the season already winding down to the playoff chase now more than ever.

As it stands, the Yankees and Orioles will likely go toe-to-toe in the final weeks of the MLB season. It is also worth noting that these two clubs will be coming in for a three-game clash heading into the closing week, right before the Yankees take on the Pittsburgh Pirates for their last series of the season.

This win is just one of the crucial numbers that will be considered as a promising boost to their chances of finishing at the top of the AL East. The Yankees can certainly thank Wells and Verdugo for stepping up well when they needed it most.