It is unclear what is or is not unconventional in baseball these days, but a lineup featuring Aaron Judge leading off, with Giancarlo Stanton in the two-hole, most certainly qualifies. Bobby Richardson followed by Tony Kubek it is not. 

But that’s the top of the order the Yankees presented for the first time not only this season, but in the five seasons Judge and Stanton have been teammates. And no, manager Aaron Boone did not pick the lineup out of a hat. 

He wasn’t talking through it, either, after the Yankees opened the game with seven consecutive singles and put six first-inning runs on the board against the Rays’ Corey Kluber, who had spun seven shutout innings against them a week earlier under the Florida dome. 

“Why not?” Boone asked rhetorically when asked about the quirky top of the order following his team’s 10-3 victory. “Two wrecking balls to start it up. 

“I want them up. And I want to try and get Judge in the best position to have a little protection and have our guys behind him knowing he’s going to be on base with our best chance to score.” 

This one represented an oasis of sorts for the Yankees, who have been parched while searching for relief like this through a two-month stretch in which their 23-33 record is 12th in the AL. The victory increased their lead in the loss column to three over the Rays, who have nine games remaining against Toronto and six against Houston the rest of the way. 

It also clinched the season series, which is the first tiebreaker. The Yankees actually have gone 11-8 over their last 19 games, which is not bad at all for a club dealing with so many injuries. But this is an outfit that is not going to get the benefit of the doubt. The burden of proof is on the Yankees and will be until they at least get to the World Series for the first time in 13 years. 

Again, though, Saturday was a breath of fresh air that turned into a gust, with Judge going 3-for-4 and Stanton going 2-for-5 with his first home run since July 15, a span encompassing a lengthy trip to the injured list with Achilles tendinitis, a recent bout with a sore and swollen foot, and 60 at-bats and 67 plate appearances. 

It hardly mattered to Stanton, in the starting lineup for the first time since he hammered a couple of foul balls off his foot on Labor Day, that the eighth-inning homer to left came off a 47-mph fastball from position player-pitcher Christian Bethancourt, normally a catcher. 

“They all count,” said an unabashed Stanton, who entered the game having gone 4-for-40 since his Aug. 25 return from the IL. “That counts too.” 

Judge, stuck on 55 home runs for four whole games, may not be the prototypical leadoff man, but his recent numbers indicate otherwise. He has reached base at least three times in seven straight games. The last Yankee to do that was Mickey Mantle in 1957. Judge has reached base at least three times in a major league-leading 41 games this season. His .412 on-base percentage is second in the majors to Paul Goldschmidt’s .415. Find me a better profile of a leadoff guy. 

“We’re just trying to get him up as much as possible,” Boone said. “We’re kind of searching for combinations, especially with a lot of guys out. Simple as that.” 

Judge, who had led off once in his major league career prior to this season, has been in that spot 13 times. DJ LeMahieu, on the IL with a toe injury, has been in the leadoff spot for a team-high 88 games. It is unclear whether Boone would stick with the order he used Saturday when varsity lettermen the likes of LeMahieu and Anthony Rizzo return from the IL. 

“I don’t necessarily see me going that way if we get all of them back,” the manager said. “But I didn’t hesitate today. For me, it was clear to go that route.” 

Josh Donaldson returned from paternity leave and played a game filled with energy. Better late than never. Oswaldo Cabrera had a couple of hits. Jameson Taillon was outstanding, pitching one out into the eighth and receiving an ovation for his effort as he departed. 

“Awesome,” he said. “It gave me chills walking off.” 

This was one the Yankees needed in a most desperate way on a good vibrations day. Starting with seven straight hits will do that. But of course that presages nothing. The last time the Yankees started a game with seven consecutive hits was on Sept. 25, 1990, when they opened with eight straight hits against the Orioles en route to a 15-3 victory. 

That Yankees team finished with a record of 67-95.