The Yankees’ war with the Orioles is about to break out: What’s next?

BALTIMORE -If I were Aaron Judge or Juan Soto, I’d be ready for war as soon as I set foot in Camden Yards on Saturday. Anyone who thinks hostilities between the Yankees and Orioles were settled on Friday hasn’t been paying attention.

In fact, the war between these AL East rivals has only just begun.

Friday night’s bench-clearing incident wasn’t just about a missed shot by Clay Holmes. As horrific as it was to see Heston Kjerstad on the ground after being hit in the head, the anger within the division has been building for weeks.

To be clear, the Orioles don’t like the Yankees. Not many American League teams do, but the O’s have a particular grudge against how often they’ve been hit by Aaron Boone’s pitchers this season.

Ten, to be exact, including the two times the Orioles’ best player, Gunnar Henderson, was caught.

Baltimore has barely fought back, hitting the Yankees just three times. However, one of the Orioles’ targets was Judge, who sat out a game on June 18 after being hit in the hand.

After suffering a 4-1 loss to the Yankees on Friday, the Orioles didn’t want to hear that a) Holmes didn’t want to throw Kjerstad to the ground, b) the Yankees’ closer planned to make amends today through middlemen, or c) it was raining so hard at the time that everyone on the field – pitcher and hitter alike – was suffering.

All the Orioles knew was that the Yankees had struck again. It capped a frustrating night for Baltimore, which has scored just three runs in its last four games — and lost all of them — and is on the verge of surrendering first place to the Yankees.

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What does all this mean? Don’t be surprised if Friday’s skirmish escalates into an even bigger and uglier episode this weekend.

It doesn’t matter if Holmes was serious or not, the fact that he took down Kjerstad made him look like a headhunter. And that is one of the most heinous crimes in baseball.

So Soto should be on guard. He has a bad right hand. He is an easy target.

The same goes for Judge, who is a human bullseye at 6-7. If the Orioles decide to send the strongest message possible, Judge is the Yankee they’ll chase.

I took No. 99 aside after the game and asked him if he was prepared for the worst.

“What if the Orioles are after you?” I asked.

“If they’re going to do it, they’re going to do it,” Judge said. “I’m ready. I have to protect my teammates.”

While no one should be into fighting, it’s ironic that Friday’s incident gave the Yankees their first boost in a month. Since mid-June, they’ve gone from being the best team in MLB to the worst in the business.

Aaron Boone’s nice-guy-based game plan has let him down lately, with a number of Yankees either stopping trying or making mental mistakes that aren’t consistent with the franchise’s championship aspirations.

Boone has been on the hot seat for years, but the calls for a new manager are louder and more aggressive than ever. Depending on your perspective, this was the worst possible time for Boone – and the gasping Yankees – to see the Orioles.

Or it could be a defining moment in this split personality season.

Whatever the case, the Yankees regained their strength when Orioles manager Brandon Hyde stepped out of his dugout to check on Kjerstad. Within seconds, he and Boone were standing chest to chest as players from both teams swarmed the area around home plate.

“I was just walking back and hearing stuff coming from the (Yankees’) dugout, so I just reacted the way I did,” Hyde told reporters. “They pointed at me.”

“It’s an emotional situation. My husband just got hit in the ear. I’m upset, then I see their shelter and they’re waving at me and yelling at me. I just didn’t appreciate it at the time.”

I suspect Hyde had something to do with the Yankees’ reaction, although to be fair, the Orioles were understandably shaken.

The sound of the ball hitting Kjerstad in the helmet could be heard all the way to the press box. It was disgusting. And to see Kjerstad not only fall to the ground, but remain The fact that he lay on the ground for a few seconds increased the feeling that a real fight was about to break out.

Although no punches were thrown, Hyde and Boone screamed in each other’s faces. Carlos Rodon was in the thick of the fighting, as were Gerrit Cole and Judge.

There were too many shoves to count, but you didn’t have to be a genius to figure that out – no matter The was – did not end with a ceasefire. Not by a long shot.

The crazy thing is that Cole called it “good baseball.” He didn’t talk about beanballs, fights or ejections.

Cole was referring to the birth of a new rivalry. The Yankees hated the Pedro-Manny-Ortiz Red Sox a generation ago. Then it was the Rays’ turn. Now the Orioles have become the enemy.

One MLB executive I spoke to recently said the O’s are “the most talented team in the league, definitely the most athletic. And they’re all young guys who look like they came straight out of the SEC or something. Very young, very cocky.”

Upstarts versus oligarchs. It’s an irresistible story. But it’s not that simple.

The Orioles don’t just want to beat the Yankees. My gut tells me they’re getting ready to settle all family business.

This can only mean one thing: Judge and Soto should be ready to hit the mattress

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You can reach Bob Klapisch at [email protected].