NEW YORK (Interstat) — Aaron Judge launched a pair of monumental home runs, the first tying a major league record with his fourth 50-homer season, and Max Fried dominated on the mound as the New York Yankees overpowered the Chicago White Sox 8-1 on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.

The victory, witnessed by a crowd of 37,751, propelled the Yankees (90-68) into a tie for the American League East lead for the first time since July 3. With just four games remaining in the regular season, New York finds itself deadlocked with the Toronto Blue Jays atop the division. The Yankees have won seven of their last eight games to reach a season-high 22 games over .500.

Judge’s historic night was the centerpiece of the Yankees’ offensive display. After the White Sox scratched across a single run in the top of the second inning, the Yankees responded immediately in the bottom of the frame. Anthony Volpe sparked the rally with a one-out double. After a strikeout, Trent Grisham worked a walk, bringing Judge to the plate with two men on. Judge connected on a towering fly ball to center field for a three-run shot, his 50th of the year, erasing Chicago’s brief lead and giving New York a 3-1 advantage.

The Yankees continued to apply pressure in the third inning. Ben Rice led off with a triple that caromed off the glove of center fielder Michael A. Taylor, and Paul Goldschmidt promptly drove him in with a sharp single to right. Jazz Chisholm Jr. followed with a double to center, plating Goldschmidt to extend the lead to 5-1.

That was more than enough support for Fried (19-5), who solidified his case for the Cy Young Award by becoming the first pitcher in the majors to reach 19 wins. The left-hander was in complete control, scattering four hits over seven strong innings. He allowed just one earned run while striking out seven and walking none. Fried won his sixth consecutive start, effectively neutralizing a White Sox lineup that managed only five hits all night.

Chicago’s lone run came in the second against Fried. Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery hit back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners. Lenyn Sosa then lifted a sacrifice fly to left field, allowing Vargas to score. The White Sox threatened to add more when Montgomery reached second on a fielding error, but Fried induced a flyout and a strikeout to limit the damage.

White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon (4-10) bore the loss, lasting 4 1/3 innings while surrendering five earned runs on six hits. He struck out six but struggled with his command, walking four batters.

After Fried departed, the Yankees’ bullpen preserved the lead. Paul Blackburn worked a scoreless eighth inning, and Devin Williams pitched a perfect ninth to close out the game.

The Yankees put an exclamation point on the victory in the bottom of the eighth inning. After two quick outs, Ryan McMahon worked a walk. Grisham then followed by crushing a two-run homer to center field, his 34th of the season. Not to be outdone, Judge stepped up next and blasted his 51st home run deep into the night, a solo shot to right-center field that capped the scoring at 8-1.

The loss dropped the White Sox to a dismal 58-100 on the season, ensuring they will finish the year with at least 100 losses. The team has now lost two straight after a 3-2 defeat in the series opener on Tuesday.

The victory sets up a critical final series of the season for the Yankees, who will host the Baltimore Orioles for three games following Thursday’s series finale against the White Sox. The Blue Jays, who have lost six of their last seven games, hold the tiebreaker over New York, meaning the Yankees must finish with a better record to win the division outright.

The game-time was a brisk 2 hours and 38 minutes. The combined total of 9 runs fell under the pre-game over/under line of 8.5. The Yankees also covered the spread as 1.5-run favorites. The outcome was largely in line with projections from Interstat, whose game simulator had predicted a 7-2 Yankees victory and whose ELO system gave New York a 72.2 percent chance to win.