Yankees feast on Red Sox, again keep bubbly bottled | Rapid reaction

The Yankees made it two in a row this week over the Boston Red Sox with a 10-1 win at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night.

NEW YORK — That old October buzz was back at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night.

Yankees righty Luis Severino was dealing again, late-season find Luke Voit hit two more homers, rookie sensation Miguel Andujar went yard again, face-of-the-franchise slugger Aaron Judge got his first hit since coming off the DL and for the second night in a row the Red Sox were forced to wait at least one more day to clinch the American League East.

Did Yankees just drop big hint who will start Wild Card Game?                     

This 10-1 Yankees romp was a powerful message sent to the Red Sox.

Beware in October.

The 103-49 Red Sox will get to playoff baseball with one of the best regular-season records ever, but the 93-58 Yankees also will be there sporting the second-or-third best winning percentage in the majors. And all it will take for these two age-old rivals to meet up in a best-of-five Division Series is the Yankees winning their Wild Card Game.

The Yanks’ two-fold motivation for this week’s three-game set has been strengthening their lead over Oakland for home field in the Wild Card Game and keeping Boston from clinching in the Bronx.

So far, so good.

By winning the first two – the Yankees prevailed 3-2 on Tuesday night – their lead over the Athletics has doubled from 1 1/2 games to three pending Oakland’s late game Wednesday and the Red Sox’s magic number to clinch is still two.

Severino’s superb outing was one of the many highlights to the Yankees’ latest win because his seven-inning, one-run masterpiece was reminiscent of his great first half, which led into a long second-half slump that finally appears over.

Severino (18-8) allowed six hits, struck out six and walked while keeping alive his shot to become the Yankees’ first 20-game winner since CC Sabathia was 21-7 in 2010. He’ll likely have two more starts, possibly at Tampa Bay on Sept. 24 and at Boston on Sept. 29.

The Yankees poured on the offense for Severino by roasting Red Sox lefty David Price for the second time this season.

Price (15-7) was roughed up for six runs, four earned, over 5 1/3 innings. On July 1 at Yankee Stadium, the five-time All-Star was plastered for eight runs over 3 1/3 innings in an 11-Yankees laugher.

The Yankees hit three homers off Price on Wednesday.

Andujar’s one-out, opposite-field flyball in the second dropped into the short porch in right for a 1-0 Yankees lead, then Voit teed off with his eighth and ninth in 93 at-bats since being traded by St. Louis in July. The husky first baseman’s solo shot in the fourth that made it a 4-0 game, his two-run blast in the sixth put the Yanks ahead 6-1 and sent Price to the showers. He finished the night 4-for-4 to hike his 29-game Yankees average to .323.

Meantime, Judge was in the Yankees’ lineup for the second day in a row since being cleared to hit – this time as their DH – and he was 1-for-4 with a single and a run scored. He hit the ball three times in his four at-bats.

NOTABLE

— Yankees No. 1 prospect Justus Sheffield came on to start the ninth with a 10-1 lead for his major league debut. He worked himself into a bases-loaded, one-out jam, then got Mookie Betts to bounce into a game-ending 6-4-3 double play.

— Closer Aroldis Chapman was activated from the disabled list after being sidelined since Aug. 22 with left knee tendinitis.

— The Yankees’ three homers gave them 245 for the season, which ties their single-season record, set in 2012.

— Andujar became the Yankees’ fifth rookie and second in two years to hit 25 homers, joining Judge (52 in 2018), Bobby Murcer (26 in 1969), Joe Gordon (25 in 1938) and Joe DiMaggio (29 in 1936).

LOOKING AHEAD

Thursday: Boston Red Sox at Yankees, 7:05 p.m., YES. LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (12-4, 3.53) vs. RHP Masahiro Tanaka (12-5, 3.47). 

Friday: Baltimore Orioles at Yankees, 7:05 p.m., WPIX. RHP Yefry Ramirez (1-6, 5.50) vs. LHP CC Sabathia (7-7, 3.80).

Saturday: Friday: Baltimore Orioles at Yankees, 7:05 p.m., YES. RHP David Hess (3-10, 5.22) vs. RHP Lance Lynn (9-10, 4.90).

Randy Miller may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.