Voit's first career triple gives Yanks insurance

NEW YORK -- Luke Voit's magical run keeps getting better.
The first baseman tripled in a pair of runs in the sixth inning of Wednesday night's American League Wild Card Game, part of a four-run frame that broke open the Yankees' 7-2 win over the A's. New York advances to play Boston in the AL Division Series, starting on Friday.
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It was the first triple of the 27-year-old first baseman's career, though not Voit's first big hit for the Yanks, who acquired him from the Cardinals in a late-July trade that went mostly unnoticed at the time.
"Who would have thought I'd be here at this point? Words can't describe how much fun I'm having," Voit said. "There's nothing better than this. I was in Spring Training with the Cardinals and I was thinking of going to the playoffs with them. ... I get traded here. Now I'm playing in front of the best fans. This locker room is awesome, and I'm having the time of my life."
Voit finished the regular season with an RBI in each of his final five games and nine of his last 11, winning AL Player of the Week. He hit 14 home runs and had a 1.095 OPS in 39 games with the Yankees, wrestling the first-base job away from the struggling Greg Bird.
• What you need to know about Luke Voit
"He's been huge," left-hander CC Sabathia said. "He's been a spark plug. Obviously when we had so many guys out, he was the guy who was hitting it and winning games for us. To see him be able to step up on the big stage and have a big game, continue to have success, it's good."

Voit's triple came on the ninth pitch of his at-bat against Oakland closer Blake Treinen.
"Biggest hit of my life," Voit said. "That's what you look for as a little kid, man. You want to get the big hit and pump up the team, pump up the crowd. I got that today, and it was an unreal feeling."

"That at-bat he had against Treinen, to get the triple, that's a tough at-bat against probably the best closer in the game," said outfielder Aaron Judge, who went 2-for-3 with an early two-run homer. "You get a 97-mph sinker in on the hands, a good cutter and slider away. He kept battling until he could put something in play."
Voit's drive caromed off the right-field wall, eluding Stephen Piscotty's lunging attempt as Voit chugged his way around the bases. Voit later scored on Didi Gregorius' sacrifice fly, avoiding a tag with a nice slide and a swipe of his hand across the plate. Oakland reviewed the play, but the call stood.
"He was sniffing a triple all the way," Judge said. "I knew it the way he was running, but I think he was kind of gassed when he tagged up on that sac fly."

As Voit celebrated with his teammates after the game, he talked about his big night while wiping champagne and beer out of his eyes. He's hoping this isn't the last time he feels that burn.
"It's the best feeling in the world," Voit said. "There's nothing better than this stinging feeling. Hopefully we can do it again."