AL East Roundup (April 27): Stanton Hits HR Milestone In Yankees' Win, Take Division Lead

We're set for another great race in the American League East this year, so here's our daily roundup of what happened on the field Wednesday, plus the current division standings and the schedule for the rest of the week, including pitching matchups where available.

All throughout the always-tough American League East, the goal is to win the division and make a run in the playoffs. Since it's going to be another tight race this season, we think it's a good idea to provide you all the quick information every day on what's going on all around the division in one minute. 

We have a new leader at the top of the standings, and all five teams are playing day games on Thursday.

So here's our daily quickie roundup, with the latest standings and the schedule for the rest of the week.

Wednesday's summaries

• YANKEES 5, ORIOLES 2: Giancarlo Stanton hit his 350th career home run in the first inning and drove in another run in the sixth with a sacrifice fly to put the New York Yankees ahead for good in a 5-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles . "It’s pretty cool,” he said of reaching the milestone. “When I began this journey, I didn't know really what to expect or where I'd be, or how long I'd be around, so yeah, it's a cool feat." Michael King, who pitched 2 1/3 innings of one-hit relief, got the win for the Yankees, who have now won five straight game to take the AL East lead for the first time. The Orioles managed just five hits, but third baseman Ramon Urias had two of them, and Anthony Santander had a two-run homer.
• RED SOX 7, BLUE JAYS 1: Xavier Bogaerts went 4-for-4 and Michael Wacha had another impressive start as the Boston. Red Sox snapped a four-game losing streak with a 7-1 road win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Manager Alex Cora returned from COVID, and he was welcomed back since the Sox went 1-5 without him. Bogaerts leads the AL in hits, and this was his seventh game this season with three or more hits, tops in baseball. The loss knocked Toronto, who had won 6-of-7, out of first place in the AL East standings.
• RAYS 3, MARINERS 2: Drew Rasmussen pitched six shutout innings and Kevin Kiermaier hit another dramatic home run, helping the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Seattle Mariners 3-2. Rasmussen allowed only two hits and had a career-high nine strikeouts. Kiermaier hit his second homer in four games, the first one a walk-off last Saturday against the Red Sox. For the complete game story, CLICK HERE

Upcoming schedule

Thursday's games (April 28)

• Baltimore Orioles (Bruce Zimmerman 1-0, 1.20 ERA) at New York Yankees (James Taillon 1-1, 3.07 ERA), 1:05 p.m. ET
• Seattle Mariners (Chris Flexen 1-2, 3.63 ERA) at Tampa Bay Rays (Jeffrey Springs (1-0, 0.00 ERA), 1:10 p.m. ET
• Boston Red Sox (Garrett Whitlock 1-0, 0.66 ERA) at Toronto Blue Jays (Alex Manoah 3-0, 2.00 ERA), 3:07 p.m. ET

Friday's games (April 29)

• Boston Red Sox at Baltimore Orioles, 7:05 p.m. ET
• Houston Astros at Toronto Blue Jays, 7:07 p.m. ET
• Minnesota Twins at Tampa Bay Rays, 7:10 p.m. ET
• New York Yankees at Kansas City Royals, 8:10 p.m. ET

Saturday's games (April 30)

• Houston Astros at Toronto Blue Jays, 3:07 p.m. ET
• Minnesota Twins at Tampa Bay Rays, 4:10 p.m. ET
• Boston Red Sox at Baltimore Orioles, 7:05 p.m. ET
• New York Yankees at Kansas City Royals, 7:10 p.m. ET

Sunday's games (May 1)

• Boston Red Sox at Baltimore Orioles, 1:05 p.m. ET
• Minnesota Twins at Tampa Bay Rays, 1:10 p.m. ET
• Houston Astros at Toronto Blue Jays, 1:37 p.m. ET
• New York Yankees at Kansas City Royals, 2:10 p.m. ET

This week's results

Monday's games (April 25)

• Toronto Blue Jays 6, Boston Red Sox 2

Tuesday's games (April 26)

• New York Yankees 12, Baltimore Orioles 8
• Seattle Mariners 8, Tampa Bay Rays 4
• Toronto Blue Jays 6, Boston Red Sox 5, 10 innings.