NEW YORK (Interstat) — In a game defined by powerful swings and a pivotal third inning, the New York Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles 8-4 on Friday night at Yankee Stadium, fueled by a pair of home runs from Giancarlo Stanton.

A crowd of 44,596 watched as the Yankees (92-68) used the long ball to seize control of the game early and never relinquish the lead. Stanton’s two homers drove in five runs, while Aaron Judge launched his 52nd of the season, helping New York overcome a three-run blast from Baltimore’s Jordan Westburg.

The victory extended the Yankees’ winning streak to five games as they continue to solidify their postseason positioning. The Orioles (75-85), meanwhile, saw a two-game winning streak snapped.

Yankees right-hander Will Warren earned the win, improving to 9-8 despite a challenging outing. He pitched five innings, allowing four runs on six hits while striking out seven. The loss was charged to Baltimore starter Trevor Rogers, who fell to 9-3 after surrendering six runs on five hits and three walks over just 2.2 innings.

New York struck first in the bottom of the opening frame. After Rogers recorded two quick outs, he walked Cody Bellinger, bringing Stanton to the plate. Stanton then connected on a towering fly ball to right-center field for a two-run homer, his 22nd of the year, giving the Yankees an immediate 2-0 lead.

The Orioles responded forcefully in the top of the third inning to take the lead. With two outs and the bases empty, Coby Mayo sparked the rally with an infield single, and Jackson Holliday worked a walk. That brought Westburg to the plate, and he delivered, driving a line drive over the left-field wall for a three-run home run, his 16th of the season, putting Baltimore ahead 3-2.

The lead was short-lived, as the Yankees’ offense erupted in the bottom half of the inning. José Caballero drew a leadoff walk from Rogers. After a fly out, Judge stepped up and crushed a first-pitch offering deep to center field for a two-run homer, reclaiming the lead for New York at 4-3.

Rogers’ command continued to falter, as he issued another walk to Bellinger. That prompted Orioles manager to summon reliever José Castillo from the bullpen. Castillo’s first task was facing Stanton again, and the result was the same. Stanton hammered another mammoth shot, this time to straightaway center field for his second two-run homer of the night, extending the Yankees’ advantage to 6-3.

The game settled into a bullpen battle for the next two innings. Castillo, followed by Colin Selby, provided effective relief for Baltimore, combining for four innings of scoreless, one-hit baseball to keep the Orioles within striking distance.

Baltimore chipped away at the deficit in the top of the sixth. Tyler O’Neill led off the inning against Yankees reliever Mark Leiter Jr. by launching a solo home run to right-center, his ninth of the year, cutting the Yankees’ lead to 6-4. The Orioles threatened for more, loading the bases later in the inning with two outs, but left-hander Tim Hill entered and induced an inning-ending groundout from Holliday to escape the jam.

New York added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth against Selby. Trent Grisham and Anthony Volpe hit back-to-back singles, and Austin Wells followed with an RBI single to right field, scoring Grisham to make it 7-4.

The Yankees capped the scoring in the seventh. After loading the bases with no outs, Stanton grounded into a fielder’s choice, allowing Paul Goldschmidt to score and providing the final 8-4 margin.

New York’s bullpen combination of Hill, David Bednar and Camilo Doval shut the door over the final three innings. Doval was particularly dominant in the ninth, striking out the side to seal the victory.

Westburg was a bright spot for the Orioles, finishing the night 3 for 5 with three RBIs. Stanton’s 2-for-4, five-RBI performance led the Yankees’ nine-hit attack.

The loss dropped the Orioles to 10 games below .500 with just two games remaining in the season. The Yankees improved to 24 games above .500.

The two teams are scheduled to continue their three-game series on Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. The contest will be the penultimate game of the 2025 regular season for both clubs.