New York Yankees Aaron Judge reached another milestone in Major League Baseball history.
Judge went 3-for-4 with two home runs, three RBIs and three runs scored in a 10-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, on Tuesday.
Judge, batting second in right field, hit a two-run shot in his second at-bat in the top of the third inning with the score tied 1-1. Leadoff man Glavier Torres singled up the middle to load the bases. On a full count, Jersey pulled a six-seam, 93.8-mph fastball from starter Bryce Miller over the middle of the plate for a clothesline home run that hit the left-field foul pole.
After hitting a two-run shot to left in the top of the fifth for a 4-2 lead and coming home on Willie Calhoun’s double, Jersey exploded for a solo shot in his fourth at-bat in the top of the sixth for an 8-4 lead.
With one out and the bases loaded, he lifted a three-pitch, 88.2-mph changeup from right-hander Juan Denny just over the left-center field fence. It had a 31-degree launch angle, 95.8 mph, and traveled 378 feet. There was a hint of disappointment on Judge’s face as he initially thought he had missed, but the hard-hit pitch sailed just over the outstretched glove of Seattle left fielder Jarrett Kelenic.
It was Judge’s fourth multi-homer game of the year and 31st of his career. He moved into fifth place on the Yankees’ all-time multi-homer list, four games behind Joe DiMaggio for fourth.
He also shined defensively. In the bottom of the eighth inning with a 9-4 lead, he chased down Teoscar Hernandez’s line drive and 먹튀검증stretched his glove over the fence to make the catch. Jersey also hit two home runs and caught one home run against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium on July 30 last year. According to Statz, Jersey is the only player in the last 30 years to have two “two home runs and one catch in one game” in his career.
Jersey said after the game, “I’ve seen a lot of great outfield catches. I don’t know if the catch I made today was that great. If it was in a close game or in the last minute, I’d probably get a lot of credit, but I just made my play. I’m 6’7” (2.01 meters) and I’m supposed to catch pitches like that.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, “That’s probably the best game I’ve ever had as a hitter. Two home runs, a catch, a double, a walk, a great day for Jersey. I don’t know how else to describe it.” Boone said of Judge’s catch, “Judge is undervalued on defense. He’s going to get a Gold Glove someday. It’s probably on his wish list.”
“I’m out there doing what I’m supposed to do. I’m playing for the team. Especially when you’re batting at the top of the order, you have to be a spark for the team and you have to score runs.” “I take pride in my defense – my throwing, my fence plays, my cut plays. It’s easy for people to say what they want, but I’m just doing what I have to do,” he reiterated.
Judge was placed on the disabled list on March 28 with a hip injury and spent 11 days on the shelf before returning with a two-run double against the Oakland Athletics on March 10. Since then, he has hit 11 home runs in 15 games, including a two-run blast against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 14. He hit his 15th of the season against the San Diego Padres on Sept. 29 to take sole possession of the AL lead, then followed that up with his 16th and 17th homers of the day.
He extended his lead in the AL home run race to three over Adolis Garcia of the Texas Rangers and Jordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros.
Across both leagues, he trails first-place New York Mets Pete Alonso by three and is tied for second with Miami Marlins Jorge Soler, Atlanta Braves Matt Olson and Los Angeles Dodgers Max Muncy. His .679 on-base percentage and 1.087 OPS lead both leagues combined.
