Aaron Judge said he didn’t keep track of how long his home run drought was. He chose the ideal moment to end it, however.
Judge broke the longest home run streak of his career with a game-changing grand slam, leading the New York Yankees to a 5-4 win over the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.
The slugger had gone 16 games and 75 plate appearances without hitting a home run before he connected on a crucial drive into the lower left-field seats off reliever Cam Booser in the seventh inning, giving the Yankees a 5-4 lead.
The win extended their AL East lead to three games over Baltimore with 14 games left to play.
“Was it 16 games? I didn’t really know that,” Judge said later in the clubhouse. “It’s just another day. I really don’t focus on hitting homers. I don’t focus on any of that. I’ve got a job to do.”
Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt wasn’t convinced by Judge’s claim.
“He’s very aware of stuff like that, I think,” Schmidt said with a smile. “I don’t know about that. You guys can decide for yourself.”
Judge’s eighth career grand slam and his second this season caused the Yankee Stadium crowd of 45,292 and the jubilant players in the New York dugout to erupt in excitement. The 6-foot-7 outfielder came out of the dugout for a curtain call.
It was a standout moment for one of baseball’s biggest stars, who is aiming for his second AL MVP award in three years.
“I was in the training room but, I mean, I was going crazy. Anybody who was near the training room definitely heard me. I don’t think there was anybody who wasn’t going crazy on this side, even in the stands,” Schmidt said. “Words can’t describe how cool that was. Such a special moment.”
This was Judge’s 52nd home run of the season, and he also leads the majors with 130 RBIs. His last home run before this game was on August 25, when he hit two against Colorado.
