Giancarlo Stanton blasts 450th career homer in Yankees' 6-1 win over Orioles

The Yankees wasted no time generating offense on Saturday night, as a three-run rally in the first inning was ample damage to defeat the division-rival Orioles, 6-1, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

While the magic number to clinch a postseason berth is now down to five, the chase for a division crown hasn't ended just yet. The Blue Jays fell to the Royals on Saturday, narrowing their first-place lead over the Yankees in the AL East standings to a mere two games. Two back with seven to go.

Here are the takeaways…

— Giancarlo Stanton's hopes of producing the 450th home run of his career were spoiled on Friday, as his deep flyout in the second inning landed a few feet shy of the left field wall. But the veteran slugger summoned just enough muscle to achieve the milestone in his first at-bat on Saturday, connecting on a two-out sweeper from Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano that traveled just over the elevated wall in right for a three-run shot. The Yankees' first-inning rally was sparked by a pair of two-out singles from Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger. 

— Stanton became the 41st player in MLB history to register 450 career homers, and the fifth-fastest player to accomplish the feat (1,719 games). If the 500-homer mark still separates Hall of Fame contenders from pretenders, there's a chance that a healthy Stanton flirts with a legitimate pursuit over the next few seasons. Again, call it a chance. The historic blast was No. 21 on the year for Stanton, who's now hitting a respectable .269 with a .920 OPS.

— Stanton's behemoth teammate showed off his esteemed power two innings later. Facing a full count, Judge won an eight-pitch leadoff matchup with Sugano by demolishing a sweeper down the right-field line for a leadoff solo homer. The 370-foot blast was No. 49 for the Yankees' captain, and he's now one homer shy of producing the fourth 50-homer season of his career. The Orioles trailed 4-0 after three, and didn't allow Sugano to return for a fourth inning of work. The Yankees roughed the right-hander up — he threw a whopping 87 pitches and allowed six hits and one walk.

— Carlos Rodón reached 87 pitches, too… but not until recording one out in the seventh inning. The Yankees' southpaw resembled an ace, lowering his season ERA from 3.11 to 3.04 with seven stellar frames of one-run ball. He retired 10 straight at one point, struck out eight for the first time since Aug. 1, and logged 18 first-pitch strikes to 26 total batters. Rodón's lone blemish came in the seventh, when he allowed an RBI double to Coby Mayo that cut the Yankees' lead to 6-1. The sharp performance was acknowledged by his teammates in the dugout — he now has a career-high 17 wins.

— Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Trent Grisham provided Rodón with more breathing room during the fifth and sixth innings by collecting RBI singles against Orioles relievers Jose Castillo and Yennier Cano. The eighth inning belonged to Luke Weaver, aiming to regain further confidence after an ugly relief appearance on Monday. Much to the Yankees' delight, the veteran right-hander looked sharp for a second straight game, inducing a pair of swinging strikeouts (Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg) on 15 pitches. David Bednar took over the ninth, and needed just six pitches to retire the side.

Game MVP: Giancarlo Stanton

Stanton's momentous three-run homer in the first inning was all that the Yankees needed. The next name to chase on MLB's all-time homers list? Carl Yastrzemski (452).

Highlights

What's next

The Yankees (87-68) will look for a series win over the Orioles on Sunday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 1:35 p.m.

RHP Cam Schlittler (3-3, 3.41 ERA) is slated to take the mound, opposite RHP Kyle Bradish (1-1, 2.45 ERA).

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