


BALTIMORE — The Yankees and Orioles’ benches-clearing madness Friday night avoided any fisticuffs.
But the Yankees spent Saturday throwing punches with their bats to finally knock down the Orioles, win back-to-back games and a series for the first time in a month, and climb back into a tie for first place in the AL East.
Austin Wells delivered the first haymaker with a three-run homer in the first inning before Juan Soto and Aaron Judge went back-to-back in the fifth.
Along with six strong innings from Luis Gil, it was more than enough to lift the Yankees to a 6-1 win over the Orioles on a sticky and sweltering day at Camden Yards in front of a sellout crowd of 44,018.
As rough as things have gone for the Yankees (58-39) since the last time they won a series before Saturday — June 10-13 against the Royals — they now have a chance to enter the All-Star break in first place of the division if they can finish off a sweep of the Orioles (57-38) on Sunday.
The Yankees had gone 0-7-1 in eight series since clinching a four-game set over the Royals, including their second series loss of the season against the Orioles.
During that skid, they went 6-17 while their 3 ½-game lead atop the division evaporated into a two-game deficit behind the Orioles.
But the Yankees now finally have some momentum on their side, winning three of their last four and responding to Friday’s late-game chaos — set off by Clay Holmes’ 97 mph sinker hitting Heston Kjerstad in the ninth inning — by coming back and sticking to playing winning baseball.
Aaron Boone and Orioles manager Brandon Hyde spoke after tempers flared on Friday night, seemingly clearing the air, and Baltimore did not retaliate by hitting any Yankees on Saturday.
Instead, the Yankees’ bats made the most noise while Gil turned in a second straight bounce-back to enter the break in impressive fashion.
Wells, who on Friday night was playing peacemaker as he held back Hyde from charging at the Yankees dugout, set the tone in the first inning by visiting Eutaw St.
After Gleyber Torres had put the Yankees up 1-0 with a two-out infield single, Wells worked a nine-pitch at-bat against Grayson Rodriguez that ended with a 397-foot blast to right field to make it 4-0.
Wells, who should get more playing time with Jose Trevino landing on the injured list Saturday, continued to swing a hot bat.
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Then in the fifth inning, Soto and Judge went back-to-back for the second time this season.
Soto crushed his 23rd of the season, a 426-footer to center field, before Judge smoked his 34th of the year 431 feet to the batter’s eye.