Aaron Judge batted in five runs, Carlos Rodón pitched strongly, and the New York Yankees won their seventh game in a row by defeating the Minnesota Twins 9-5 on Wednesday night.
With this win, the Yankees have now won 18 out of their last 22 games and hold the joint-best record in the major leagues with Philadelphia, standing at 44-19.
Rodón, supported by a strong start with four runs in the first inning, secured his sixth consecutive victory, the longest streak of his career. The Twins couldn’t muster a hit until the sixth inning when Carlos Santana hit a home run.
Judge’s contributions were significant, as he drove in runs in various innings against different pitchers. His total of 54 RBIs puts him ahead of Juan Soto for the team lead, with only José Ramírez of Cleveland having more at 58.
Rodón credited his team’s scoring for making his pitching job easier. Judge’s athletic slide home, causing the catcher to fumble the ball, demonstrated the Yankees’ aggressive play.
The Yankees have dominated the Twins recently, winning six straight games against them and holding an impressive 106-42 record against Minnesota since 2002. This year alone, they have won all five matchups, outscoring the Twins 28-7.
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli acknowledged his team’s need for improvement after the loss. Royce Lewis provided a bright spot for the Twins by hitting a home run on his 25th birthday, making franchise history by homering in his first three games of the season after returning from injury.
