No debating this win: Yankees complete a 3-game sweep with a 6-1 rout of the Orioles

By: Noah Trister, The Associated Press Posted: 8:47 PM CDT Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026

BALTIMORE (AP) — Gerrit Cole pitched six sharp innings, Luis García Jr. and Spencer Jones homered and the New York Yankees completed a three-game sweep in Baltimore with a 6-1 victory over the Orioles on Thursday night.

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Cole (7-6) allowed four hits and a walk with eight strikeouts. A fifth-inning homer by Dylan Beavers produced the lone Baltimore run. The Yankees pulled within four games of AL East-leading Tampa Bay.

Ryan Yarbrough relieved Cole and pitched three perfect innings for his third save.

New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole throws during the second inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

The Orioles have dropped four in a row after briefly taking sole possession of the lead in the race for the final American League wild card. Kyle Bradish (7-12) allowed three earned runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings, and Baltimore also permitted a pair of unearned runs in the third.

With men on first and third and nobody out that inning, second baseman Jackson Holliday fielded a tough grounder and threw to second, but shortstop Gunnar Henderson dropped the ball for an error and everyone was safe.

With a run already in, Bradish induced a double play, but Ben Rice followed with an RBI single and then Heliot Ramos brought in a run with a double that made it 3-0.

Beavers’ drive to right made it 3-1, but García and Jones answered with solo shots to chase Bradish in the sixth. Jazz Chisholm Jr. tripled in a run in the eighth.

There was no controversy about this New York win, a night after Pete Alonso’s deep fly ball against the Yankees was ruled foul with the game tied. Alonso did single twice Thursday to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 12 games.

Cole (1,015) moved one strikeout ahead of Roger Clemens for 12th place on the Yankees’ career list.