The New York Yankees are riding high with their first nine-game road winning streak since 1998.

Even in the toughest times, the Yankees’ belief remained unshaken. The team’s abundant talent fueled their conviction that a beneficial stretch of games awaited. Manager Aaron Boone frequently told them their peak performance was “still ahead,” and it seems that moment may have come.

They’re not done yet, but the postseason race is beginning to move in their direction. Cody Bellinger broke the tie with a crucial line-drive single in the 11th inning, helping the Yankees secure a 5-3 road victory over the White Sox today, extending their winning streak to a season-high seven games.

“It feels great. We’re definitely enjoying it,” Bellinger said. “This is certainly better than the alternative. But we all know there are more games to play.”

Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe also delivered RBI doubles late in the game, helping the Yankees (76-60) close the gap in the AL East standings to just two games behind the leading Blue Jays (78-58). They also hold a 1.5-game lead over the Red Sox (75-62) in the AL Wild Card race.

In just one week, the Yankees have trimmed their deficit against the Blue Jays from 6.5 games. They have also achieved their first nine-game road winning streak in a single season since 1998.

“We’re playing really well. We have to keep it going,” Boone said. “Finding ways to finish games is important. We’ll enjoy this for five minutes, then get ready for another big game tomorrow. We take it one day at a time. Let’s go.”

This surge came against the bottom-dwelling Nationals and White Sox, but given the Yankees’ situation—bouncing back from squandering a large division lead earlier in June—they’ll gladly take wins against any opponent.

Next up is a true challenge: can they continue to dominate teams like the Astros, Blue Jays, Tigers, and Red Sox? That test begins Tuesday in Houston.

“We can’t focus on anyone else,” Bellinger said. “We only focus on the guys in this clubhouse. We have another game tomorrow. That’s all we care about.”

For now, they’ll ride this wave of momentum. Aaron Judge hit his 42nd home run of the season in the fourth inning to open the scoring. This is a hopeful sign for the captain, who has had a quiet month since returning from a right oblique strain.

Judge’s powerful 429-foot homer off right-hander Shane Smith marks the 357th home run of his career, just one shy of Yogi Berra’s 358, ranking fifth on the franchise’s all-time list. As of Saturday, Judge is batting .218 with 17 hits in 78 at-bats over 23 August games, including eight extra-base hits.

“It’s great to see that,” Boone said. “He’ll get back into form. You can’t let him stay quiet for too long. A hot streak is coming. It’s good to have him and the hitters around him feeling confident and winning some games.”

Austin Wells also hit a home run in the seventh inning, his fourth in eight games. His passionate celebration in the dugout, including fist bumps and high-fives, stemmed from frustration earlier in his at-bats.

“I held in my emotions for a few innings,” Wells said.

This helped support right-hander Cam Schlittler, who pitched at least six innings with eight strikeouts for the third consecutive start. The strong rookie said his fastball felt “a bit off,” so he relied on his cutter and curveball to limit the White Sox to one run and four hits.

In the fifth inning, after a 102.1 mph line drive struck Brooks Baldwin’s right forearm, he stayed in the game and later said he expected only a bruise.

“It hit my forearm and glove,” Schlittler said. “I wasn’t really worried. I didn’t really feel it on the mound. It gave me the extra adrenaline I was looking for.”

The White Sox tied the game in the seventh when Devin Williams gave up an RBI single to Chase Meidroth, marking his first run allowed since August 8.

But the bullpen locked down the game from there, with David Bednar shining by pitching two scoreless innings and escaping a near game-ending foul ball by Lenyn Sosa in the 10th, which rattled him.

“I was blowing on it, trying to help it become a foul ball,” Wells said. “Being part of that was really fun. The relievers who came in performed great. That put us in a position to win that game.”