The New York Yankees have been on quite a roller coaster ride this season. They’ve had very high points, but they’ve also had some low points, including a horrendous stretch of games at the beginning of August.

But Aaron Boone’s club has battled back and placed itself firmly in the race for the American League East.

Slugger Aaron Judge has turned his play up to a new level, and he’s been the vocal leader of the team, as expected. Judge has chosen the perfect time to heat up, as the Yankees are about to enter the most important stretch of baseball of the season.

“That’s what we want,” Judge said of this upcoming stretch, via The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner. “It’s coming down to the wire. We want to play the best teams, and especially getting down the stretch here into the postseason. It’s all about seeing what we’re made of. I like our chances, especially the way the boys have been swinging it, and where our pitching staff and our starters have been rolling.”

The Yankees are set to travel to Houston to face the Astros this week before returning home. They’ll host the first-place Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers before traveling to Boston to play the Red Sox. The next 12 games could decide the Yankees’ season.

“We got something to prove,” Judge said. “I think more to ourselves than anybody else. We got a special team here, and guys know the opportunity got ahead of us. The boys are fired up. We’re ready to go.”

The best way to close the gap on the Blue Jays is to beat them. With the Yankees hosting Toronto for a three-game set, this is the perfect time to take the lead in the division.