Judge hitless in return but Yankees clinch 34th straight winning season with 5-3 win over Rockies

By: Larry Fleisher, The Associated Press Posted: 9:15 PM CDT Tuesday, Sep. 8, 2026 Last Modified: 9:24 PM CDT Tuesday, Sep. 8, 2026

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NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge went hitless in his return from the injured list but Cam Schlittler struck out 10 in seven sharp innings as the New York Yankees beat the Colorado Rockies 5-3 on Tuesday night to clinch their 34th straight winning season.

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In his first appearance since May 31 after missing 84 games with a broken rib, Judge struck out swinging with a runner on in the first inning, flied out in the fourth and took a called third strike in the sixth.

He was replaced in right field in the seventh, as planned.

New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells, left, and pitcher David Bednar, right, shakes hands after defeating the Colorado Rockies, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

Facing the Rockies for the first time since Colorado traded him to New York in July 2025, Ryan McMahon hit a tiebreaking double against rookie Gabriel Hughes (0-7) off the bottom of the right-field wall in the fifth for the Yankees (82-62). New York’s streak of winning seasons is the second-longest in the four major sports behind the Yankees’ 39 in a row from 1926-64.

Heliot Ramos added a three-run homer in the eighth, one inning after entering for Judge.

Hunter Goodman hit his 37th homer, a two-run drive off Tim Hill with two outs in the ninth, before David Bednar struck out Mickey Moniak on three pitches for his 32nd save in 35 chances.

New York stayed four games behind first-place Tampa Bay in the AL East and moved three ahead of Boston for the top American League wild card.

Schlittler (13-6) allowed one run and three hits with no walks while reaching double-digit strikeouts for the fourth time this year.

The right-hander lowered his AL-best ERA to 2.01. He’s permitted no more than one run in 20 starts this season, most in the majors and a Yankees record.

Adael Amador homered in the third for Colorado.

Cody Bellinger scored for the Yankees in the first when left fielder Jake McCarthy committed two errors on a single by Luis García Jr. McCarthy allowed the ball to bounce off his glove, then kicked it and was charged with a throwing error when the ball bounced past Goodman at the plate.