OSWALD PERAZA

Knowing a utility role will likely be his role this season, Yankees' Isiah Kiner-Falefa now has catcher's gear at spring training after a shortstop competition weeded him out.

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner held a one-on-one meeting with Aaron Judge to make sure the star free agent slugger knows how much New York wants him back.

Two losses to the Houston Astros to begin the ALCS have magnified the instability of the Yankees offense. Even in the latter half of October, manager Aaron Boone is scrambling to adequately fill in the lineup around Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo. Yankees lineup conjuring bad memories of August swoonWhen the Yankees lineup temporarily crumbled beneath Judge in August, knocking the team off a record win pace and out of the top seed in the AL postseason chase, it looked a bit like this. Of the 10 Yankees hitters who took the most plate appearances in the second half, only three posted better than average batting lines. As Aaron Judge surveys his suitors this offseason, are the Yankees the one most committed to building a winner around him?

It's the American League Championship Series, which means the Houston Astros are playing. For the third time in that run, they're matching up with the New York Yankees. The Astros are the top seed and will have home-field advantage, starting with Game 1 Wednesday night. He will lead the charge against Astros ace Justin Verlander — coming off his own eye-popping season — in Game 1. Outfielder Aaron Hicks is out after injuring his knee in ALDS Game 5.

It's the American League Championship Series, which means the Houston Astros are playing. For the third time in that run, they're matching up with the New York Yankees. The Astros are the top seed and will have home-field advantage, starting with Game 1 Wednesday night. He will lead the charge against Astros ace Justin Verlander — coming off his own eye-popping season — in Game 1. Outfielder Aaron Hicks is out after injuring his knee in ALDS Game 5.

It's the American League Championship Series, which means the Houston Astros are playing. For the third time in that run, they're matching up with the New York Yankees. The Astros are the top seed and will have home-field advantage, starting with Game 1 Wednesday night. He will lead the charge against Astros ace Justin Verlander — coming off his own eye-popping season — in Game 1. Outfielder Aaron Hicks is out after injuring his knee in ALDS Game 5.

ARLINGTON, Texas — (AP) — A mother-son trip to a major league game for a Florida family in need of diversion after their home was hit by Hurricane Ian turned into much more on Tuesday afternoon. Braylon, a good-fielding middle infielder, reached to his left in front of his mom and made the catch on Peraza's first big league homer, four rows beyond the wall. After the game, they met with Peraza outside the visitors’ clubhouse and received some signed baseballs and tickets to a future Yankees game in Arlington. It’s so exciting,” Peraza said through a translator after the Yankees beat Texas 5-4. Samantha, chief financial office for Bay Colony Golf Club in Naples, Florida, and Braylon had planned the trip for months.

A mother-son trip to a major league game for a Florida family in need of diversion after their home was hit by Hurricane Ian turned into much more on Tuesday afternoon.

A mother-son trip to a major league game for a Florida family in need of diversion after their home was hit by Hurricane Ian turned into much more on Tuesday afternoon. Samantha Sheffield and 14-year-old son Braylon were in town from storm-ravaged Fort Myers, sitting in the lower deck in left field at Globe Life Field when New York Yankees rookie Oswald Peraza hit a long drive in their direction against the Texas Rangers. Braylon, a good-fielding middle infielder, reached to his left in front of his mom and made the catch on Peraza's first big league homer, four rows beyond the wall.

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is still at 61 home runs with two games left.

NEW YORK — (AP) — Aaron Judge went 0 for 2 with two walks and was hit by a pitch, remaining at 61 homers on the 61st anniversary of Roger Maris setting the American League record, and the New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-0 Saturday. Judge reached base leading off to spark a three-run first and a four-run seventh and also struckout twice. Judge walked on five pitches from Spenser Watkins in the seventh and struck out against him on a full count in the eighth. Torres hit an RBI double in the first and scored on Donaldson’s sacrifice fly, and Stanton homered for a 3-0 lead. Anthony Rizzo was hit on the left knee by a pitch in the Yankees second, the 200th time he was hit by a pitch in his career.

Aaron Judge went 0 for 2 with two walks and was hit by a pitch, remaining at 61 homers on the 61st anniversary of Roger Maris setting the American League record, and the New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-0.

NEW YORK — (AP) — The Yankees threw a team from the 90s at the Minnesota Twins — as in uniform numbers usually limited to spring training. Aaron Judge started the comeback from a three-run deficit with his major league-leading 55th home run and Oswaldo Cabrera capped a two-run 12th inning with a game-ending single. Judge set the Yankees record for right-handed hitters by surpassing the 54 homers hit by Alex Rodriguez in 2007. Varland, a 24-year-old right-hander, gave up three hits and one walk in 5 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts. Gleyber Torres tied it at 3 for the injury-depleted Yankees with a two-run homer in the sixth off Griffin Jax.

Aaron Judge started the first-game comeback with his major league-leading 55th home run, Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a go-ahead grand slam in the nightcap and the New York Yankees swept a doubleheader from the Minnesota Twins 5-4 and 7-1.