NEW YORK (AP) – CC Sabathia's cutter was back and the big southpaw came back in the win column for the second time only after the break from the stars.

Didi Gregorius and Aaron Hicks scored two points to help the New York Yankees take a six-point lead and take another step towards their second career title with a 10-8 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday evening.

Aaron Judge ran for the first time since returning from the list of disabled people on September 14, and New York overcame a series of difficulties to lower his magic number to two against Tampa Bay for having ensured a wild card game in October . 3. It is likely that the Yankees will face Oakland and have started the 1½ night games in front of Athletics for a home advantage.

"I think we're together again," Sabathia said in reference to Judge's return and closer to Aroldis Chapman.

Backed by a 6-0 lead, Sabathia (8-7) allowed two runs in six innings and improved to 20-11 against Baltimore. He had been 1-4 in his 11 previous starts this season.

"I thought he was ordering a little better his slider and his change and his cutter," said manager Aaron Boone. "He generated that weak contact that we usually see from him."

Sabathia has written off five and increased his total to 2,981. The 38-year-old athlete was not sure at the start of the season that he would be coming back in 2019 for a 19th season, but he's sure he'll be back. It is decided.

"I will play next year," he said.

Luke Voit added a two-point single to give him 24 RBIs in 31 games with the Yankees, and Hicks scored four points. After the Orioles closed at 9-8 in the eighth, Judge doubled in one inning.

Baltimore dropped to a major league – worst 44-109, overtaking the 1937 Browns of St. Louis for the second-biggest loss in franchise history behind the 1939's Browns. The Orioles are at 60½ games from the first place.

"Many young players have done good things, but it's just that the pitch is not really – I do not know if you mean pretty mature," said manager Buck Showalter.

Gregorius beat his 27th homer in the first and Hicks added his 25th goal to fourth-seeded rookie Yefry Ramirez (1-7), 0-4 in 10 starts since his victory over Boston on July 24. inch, Ramirez gave up six runs, six hits and three walks in three sets and two-thirds and fell to 0-3 against New York.

Baltimore finished 6-4 on Adam Jones' single in the fifth, Austin Wynn's circuit against Jonathan Loaisiga and Jonathan Villar's single against former Oriole Zach Britton later in the seventh. .

Voit defeated Cody Carroll in a three-point game that allowed New York to take a 9-4 lead, but Renato Nunez made a two-run homer to AJ Cole in eighth place and DJ Stewart hit a two-point homer on David Robertson's first throw as Baltimore closed in a race. Dellin Betances launched the ninth for his fourth stop.

"We play as well as we can," Sabathia said. "The more we play together, the more I think we'll start getting better and better."

When asked if he wanted a few weeks of work before the playoffs, Sabathia smiled.

"No, the season is too long," he said, including a blasphemy.

LOOKING TO THE FRONT

New York did not say whether Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka or J.A. Happ would start the wild card game.

Severino only got one in last year's Minnesota title game, and New York overcame a three-point deficit to win 8-4. Star of the game for the second year in a row, he was 14-2 at the All-Star break, but lost six of his next nine decisions before beating Boston this week.

"Sevy stepped out of the door extremely hot and as our team struggled for a long time here in the second half," said managing director Brian Cashman, "but I feel like I'm coming back online, just like to be able to come back online too, and if we can do it at the right time, then we are capable of a lot and we will be a more formidable adversary than we have been in the last two months and more representative of what we have were earlier in the year. "

BOOM! -Town

Hicks became the fifth Yankee with 25 or more home runs, joining Giancarlo Stanton (35), Gregorius, Judge (26) and Miguel Andujar (25).

Gleyber Torres is 23 and New York could tie the six mark set by the Boston 2003 Red Sox.

LONG NIGHT

Chris Davis of Baltimore has been eliminated four times for the fifth time this year and averages .170.

STONE SCHOOLS

New York has announced a Yankees-Stonewall Scholars initiative in which five $ 10,000 scholarships will be awarded to public school students, one from each borough, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in June. Scholarships will go to students who demonstrate academic achievement as well as a commitment to equality and support for the LGBTQ community. The Yankees were the only MLB team not to launch an LGBTQ initiative. Team Chair Randy Levine said it was a one-time commitment but could be extended.

TRAINER ROOM

The Orioles: RHP Alex Cobb, who has not started since Sept. 11 because of a sore in his hand, is expected to start the series finale on Sunday. … RHP Luis Ortiz will not launch any more action this year. He made his relieving debut on September 7 and left his first start seven days later due to a thigh injury. … LHP Josh Rogers was sent home after three late-season appearances with the Orioles. Rogers launched 150 1/3 innings this year and has reached its limit, according to Showalter.

FOLLOWING

RHP Lance Lynn (2-2, 4.47) kicks off Saturday for the Yankees and RHP David Hess (3-10, 5.22) for the Orioles.

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