Judge powers Yanks past Oakland in AL Wild Card; Boston next

Oct. 4 (UPI) -- Two of the fiercest rivals in sports will meet in the American League Division Series.

Powered by home runs from sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, the New York Yankees won the AL Wild Card Game, 7-2 over the Oakland Athletics Wednesday night.

For the second year in a row, the Yankees will enter the divisional round via the one-game wild card. Next, the Bronx Bombers head to Boston to face the rival Red Sox for a best-of-five series that starts Friday.

Despite the final score, Wednesday's game was a nail-biter for the first five innings with Judge's two-run blast in the first as the only score. Yankees pitcher Luis Severino kept A's hitters off balance with seven strike-outs and just two hits over four innings. Severino dialed it up to 99.6 mph to strike out shortstop Marcus Semian with the bases loaded in the fourth.

"That Wild Card Game is no joke. It takes years off of you," said Judge, the Yanks' right fielder. "It was a tough game, a fun game; you live for those moments. Any big moment like that, you enjoy those situations. You enjoy the pressure. Your back's against the wall; that's what this team is all about."

The Red Sox won the AL East with 108 wins, setting a new franchise record, and won the season series against the Yankees 10-9.

The National League Division Series starts Thursday with the Colorado Rockies and Milwaukee Brewers at 5:07 p.m. and the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers at 8:37 p.m.