NEW YORK (Interstat) — Giancarlo Stanton launched two home runs and drove in five, and Aaron Judge added his 52nd homer of the season as the New York Yankees overpowered the Baltimore Orioles 8-4 on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium.

A crowd of 44,596 watched the Yankees (92-68) improve their playoff positioning, while the Orioles (75-85) saw their late-season struggles continue. The game time was 2 hours, 53 minutes.

The Yankees’ offense was fueled by the long ball from the start. After a walk to Cody Bellinger in the first inning, Stanton connected for a two-run homer off Orioles starter Trevor Rogers to give New York an early lead.

Baltimore responded forcefully in the third inning. After two quick outs, Coby Mayo singled and Jackson Holliday walked, bringing Jordan Westburg to the plate. Westburg lined a three-run homer to left field, his 16th of the season, to vault the Orioles into a 4-2 lead.

The advantage was short-lived. The Yankees erupted for four runs in the bottom of the third in a display of sheer power. After a walk to José Caballero, Judge crushed a two-run shot to center field, tying the game and marking his 52nd home run. Following another walk to Bellinger, Stanton struck again, blasting his second two-run homer of the game to put New York ahead for good at 6-4.

Stanton finished 2 for 4 with five RBIs, the two homers giving him 23 on the year.

The Orioles chipped away in the sixth when Tyler O’Neill hit a solo home run to right-center field, cutting the deficit to 6-5. Baltimore then loaded the bases later in the inning with two outs, but reliever Tim Hill induced an inning-ending groundout from Jackson Holliday to escape the jam.

New York added an insurance run in the sixth on an RBI single by Austin Wells that scored Trent Grisham. They tacked on another in the seventh when Stanton grounded out, allowing Paul Goldschmidt to score.

The Yankees’ bullpen combination of Mark Leiter Jr., Tim Hill, David Bednar and Camilo Doval silenced the Orioles over the final 3 1/3 innings. Doval was particularly dominant in the ninth, striking out the side to seal the victory.

Will Warren (9-8) earned the win for New York despite allowing four runs on six hits over five innings. He struck out seven. Trevor Rogers (9-3) took the loss for Baltimore, surrendering six runs on five hits and four walks in just three innings of work.

Westburg was a bright spot for the Orioles, going 3 for 5 with the three-run homer. Baltimore relievers Colin Selby and José Castillo combined for four innings of scoreless relief, allowing just two hits.

The victory continued the Yankees’ recent dominance in the season series, having won five of the last six meetings between the American League East rivals. The total combined score of 12 went over the pregame over/under line of 8. The teams are scheduled to meet again Saturday and Sunday to conclude the regular season.