Aaron Judge hits homer No. 55 as Yankees sweep A’s

OAKLAND — The Yankees punched their ticket into the postseason during a successful West Coast trip, including a wet and wild celebration that toasted their return to the playoffs following a one-year absence. They’re jetting home with another party on deck.

Aaron Judge hit his Major League-leading 55th home run, Jasson Domínguez cracked a two-run shot and Gleyber Torres also went deep as the Yankees bid a pleasant farewell to the Oakland Coliseum, completing a series sweep of the Athletics with a 7-4 victory on Sunday afternoon.

With the victory, the Yankees increased their American League East lead to six games over the Orioles, who will be at Yankee Stadium for a three-game series beginning Tuesday. Any Yankees victory over Baltimore during that set would clinch the division for New York.

“It’s going to be rocking,” Judge said. “It’s been rocking all summer long, and I don’t expect that to change, especially with what we have coming down to the wire here.”

The Yanks also have a 2 1/2-game lead over the Guardians for the AL’s No. 1 seed, which guarantees home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs.

“We’re focused,” manager Aaron Boone said. “I think everyone in that room knows what’s at stake and what the mission is, where we’re at in the calendar and the opportunity in front of us. I think guys are just ready to do what we’ve got to do to win ballgames and give ourselves a chance come October.”

Luis Gil started for the Yankees, permitting four runs and five hits over 5 1/3 innings to earn his 15th victory, including his third straight decision.

“The focus is to keep the team in the fight,” Gil said through an interpreter. “We’re trying to win as many games as possible. To give my team a shot to win the game, I think that’s the important thing there.”

The Athletics jumped out to an early lead, but Domínguez tied the game with a second-inning homer off starter Joey Estes, the top prospect’s second big league blast of the season.

“That’s what you’re trying to do, to contribute to the team in one way or another,” Domínguez said. “It means a lot to be able to help the team in any way.”

Judge slugged a solo shot in the third inning, his second in as many games, extending his Major League lead over the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani (53). Judge also doubled and walked twice; his 55 homers are the fifth-most in a single season by a Yankee, ahead of Babe Ruth (1920, ’28), Mickey Mantle (1961) and Alex Rodriguez (2007).

“Double nickels,” Boone said. “I gave him the game ball and I’m like, ‘Oh, geez, he was on base four times today.’”

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said that he considers Judge’s prowess close to Barry Bonds in terms of his power and on-base ability.

“He impacts the game not just with the ability to drive the ball out of the ballpark, but he gets on base and is a pretty good baserunner,” Kotsay said. “We saw that late in the game. Defensively, he goes and gets it. He’s one of the best players in the game right now. He’s got my vote for MVP this year.”

The Yanks’ final series in Oakland was bittersweet for Judge, who grew up about 80 miles away in Linden and said he attended games at the Coliseum with his future wife, Samantha.

“It’s definitely sad. I had a lot of great memories here as a player,” Judge said. “I came here a couple of times as a kid, so I’ll reminisce on that a little bit. There’s a lot of history in this building, going back to the ’70s, what they were able to do here three years in a row [winning the World Series from 1972-74). A lot of special players played here, and getting a chance to be on that same field is definitely something I won’t forget.”

Torres’ 15th homer of the year highlighted a two-run fifth. Giancarlo Stanton and Austin Wells added run-scoring doubles before Luke Weaver nailed down a five-out save, his fourth since stepping into the closer’s role.

“We’re just pressuring them from every spot, with tough at-bats,” Boone said. “It’s really good to see when we’re putting pressure on them and mixing in the long ball. That’s a recipe for some crooked numbers.”

The Yankees won five of six games on their final road trip of the regular season, which included a playoff-clinching celebration following their Sept. 18 victory at Seattle. They’ve got their sights set on much more.

“We weren’t even close to the playoffs last year, but this year, every game matters,” Domínguez said. “Everything that you do matters.”