Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer in the first inning to increase his major-league-leading total to 41 as the host New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-3 on Saturday afternoon.
After reaching 40 homers for the third time in his career in the opening inning Friday, Judge blasted his 16th first-inning homer of the season on Saturday, tying the team record set by Hall of Famer Babe Ruth in 1927.
Judge gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead when he hammered an 0-1 pitch from Toronto’s Jose Berrios (9-9) into the visiting bullpen beyond the left-center field fence. It was Judge’s sixth homer in his past eight games and 38th of his career against the Blue Jays.
Trent Grisham and Anthony Volpe also hit two-run homers as the Yankees won for the sixth time in seven games following their 10-23 slide.
Gleyber Torres started after being pulled in Friday’s 8-5 loss for not hustling and singled two batters before Volpe’s homer put the Yankees ahead 6-1 in the fifth.
Judge drew an intentional walk with nobody on and two outs after two runs had scored in the second, and he also walked in the seventh before scoring on Volpe’s base hit. The slugger also singled in the eighth before Austin Wells hit a run-scoring single.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered in the first inning and went 3-for-3 against New York’s Carlos Rodon (12-7). Guerrero also singled in the fourth and doubled in the sixth to extend his hitting streak to 16 games.
Rodon allowed three runs on three hits in 5 1/3 innings. He persuaded manager Aaron Boone to let him stay in the game to start the sixth and exited to a nice hand after Guerrero doubled to set up Alejandro Kirk’s two-run single off Jake Cousins.
Cousins protected the three-run lead by retiring Spencer Horwitz and Ernie Clement. Luke Weaver ended the seventh by getting a called third strike on George Springer with a runner on base. The call resulted in Toronto starter Kevin Gausman getting ejected from the dugout by plate umpire Laz Diaz.
Tommy Kahnle fanned Guerrero and got a double play to end a scoreless eighth. Mark Leiter Jr. loaded the bases in the ninth before Clay Holmes struck out Springer to secure his 23rd save in 31 chances.
Berrios allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits in five innings. The right-hander struck out six and walked three.
–Field Level Media
