NEW YORK — Kyle Bradish shrugged toward first base umpire Dan Merzel, then put his right hand in his glove to mimic the check-swing New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge had taken moments earlier. Baffled that Merzel had ruled Judge didn’t swing despite thrusting his bat forward to dodge an up-and-in fastball with two strikes, the Orioles’ rookie right-hander took a cut himself to express his displeasure.
A pitch later, Bradish elicited another check-swing from Judge, with Merzel this time ruling he crossed the plane to end the inning and leave the bases loaded in Sunday’s second inning. It marked Bradish’s second strikeout of Judge, with Bryan Baker adding a third on the day and sixth of the series in the seventh as the Orioles beat the Yankees, 3-1, to earn a series victory while keeping Judge at 61 home runs, tied for the most in American League history.
The Orioles’ two wins in the three-game series pushed them to 82 on the year, their first winning season since 2016 and a 30-game improvement from 2021.
Judge finished the three-game series 1-for-7 with a single, six strikeouts, five walks and a hit-by-pitch. The Yankees’ (97-61) lone run Sunday came in the only inning he reached. Bradish issued two walks to open the fifth, the latter to Judge, and on a wild pitch, a throwing error from Adley Rutschman brought Aaron Hicks home.
But that unearned run was the only damage against Bradish as he closed his first year in the majors with five shaky but effective innings. After going on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation in June with a 7.38 ERA, he posted a 3.48 mark over 13 starts upon his return.
He came out for the sixth inning on 92 pitches, but when his fifth walk of the day opened the frame, manager Brandon Hyde called on Logan Gillaspie. A forceout, single and wild pitch put two in scoring position, but second baseman Terrin Vavra turned a lineout into an inning-ending double play by throwing to Gunnar Henderson to catch Harrison Bader off third base.
The Orioles (82-77) then struck for two runs. They loaded the bases with no outs on an infield single and two walks before Ryan Mountcastle, who drove in a first-inning run with a double, struck out. Henderson then walked to break the tie before Austin Hays added insurance with a sacrifice fly.
After Mountcastle’s early RBI, the Orioles went hitless in 11 at-bats with runners in scoring position, but their bullpen rendered that moot. Baker took over in the bottom of the seventh and struck out five of six, including Judge, for his 10th straight scoreless appearance before Dillon Tate pitched a clean ninth, with Félix Bautista still nursing a left knee issue suffered Friday.
