With Saturday’s 7-2 victory over Toronto, the Yankees have 101 wins on the season, their highest total since their last championship team in 2009.
That total won’t mean much if they don’t get the title, and James Paxton seems poised to give them an arm to lean on in the playoffs.
The left-hander continued his streak of excellence, giving up just an unearned run in six innings to win his 10th straight start.
Paxton, acquired in a trade from Seattle in December, improved to 10-0 with a 2.25 ERA since Aug. 2.
He’s the first pitcher to win that many in a row since Justin Verlander did it for Detroit in 2011.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever had a stretch quite this long,’’ Paxton said.
There was more aggressiveness in the strike zone and a good curveball again versus Toronto, and Paxton and the Yankees hope it carries over in October.
“You definitely think about it because it is coming,’’ Paxton said of the playoffs.
“It’s around the corner. I’m focusing on one day at a time. I’ll do the same in postseason.”
Paxon has never pitched in the playoffs, but he sure seems prepared to succeed there.
In four September outings, Paxton has allowed just one earned run in 24 ²/₃ innings.
“That’s James,’’ said Mike Ford, who tied a career-high with three hits in the victory. “We don’t expect it every time, but he gives it to us almost all the time.”
The Yankees also got two extra-base hits from Giancarlo Stanton, who homered for the first time since his return from a sprained right knee.
After a Didi Gregorius error led to Toronto’s only run in the third, the Yankees got a pair in the fourth.
Aaron Judge started the rally with a leadoff double and scored on a one-out double by Stanton. After Gio Urshela lined out to center, Ford singled to center to drive in Stanton, who looked fine running the bases.
They added to their lead in the sixth, as Stanton homered into the left-field bleachers.
Ford and Clint Frazier hit back-to-back doubles with one out to make it 4-1 and Kyle Higashioka helped put the game out of reach with a two-run single through the right side of the infield to make it 6-1.
Jonathan Loisiaga gave up a run in two innings — and struck out five — in relief of Paxton before Chad Green struck out the side in the ninth. Green has whiffed half the batters he has faced (27-of-54) in his past nine appearances and allowed just one earned run in 14 ²/₃ innings.
Paxton, though, carried most of the load Saturday.
Before the game, manager Aaron Boone said there was plenty of time to set up a plan for the ALDS starting rotation.
“With [the series] not starting until Friday [Oct. 4], I feel that’s pretty easy to do,’’ Boone said.
He laid out a potential schedule that included Masahiro Tanaka pitching the final game of the regular season, with Paxton pitching Saturday in Texas.
With the return of Luis Severino and the postseason résumé of Tanaka, the Yankees could have a solid rotation for the ALDS.
But Paxton could play the most significant part in the rotation.
“He’s done a really good job from a focus standpoint of almost having blinders on,’’ said Boone, who was tossed for arguing balls and strikes in the first inning. “He’s locked in on, ‘what I need to do to execute.’ Couple that with the fact that he’s got great stuff, it’s a dangerous recipe.’’