The New York Yankees need Aaron Judge to keep performing at his very best. He has been dominating this season with his fine show at the plate. Thanks to the captain, the Bronx Bombers are enjoying a great season, too. Moreover, the NY side had been looking for redemption since their disappointing end to the 2023 season. But what a great way the team has redeemed itself this year, as they are staying on top of the American League East division with less than 15 games left in the regular season. Moreover, the credit must go to the captain, who has been incredible along with his baseball partner in the offense and the outfield, Juan Soto.
The Judge-Soto duo has already broken many franchise records, showing glimpses of legendary partnerships like those between Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, as well as Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle. Due to this duo, the Yankees offense has looked like one of the best in the league this season. However, the 2022 AL MVP had been going through a bit of a slump in the last few games. Fans were getting impatient, but finally, the Yankees captain got out of that slump.
Aaron Judge Hits His 52nd Home Run Of The Season Finally
On August 25, the California native hit his 50th and 51st home runs of the year in a game against the Colorado Rockies. That game was a perfect example of why Aaron Judge was the favorite to win the 2024 AL MVP award. However, since August 26, the Yankees captain went on a 16-game homerless streak. Nobody expected the 2022 AL MVP to have such a long home run drought at a time when he was performing at his finest. He was leading the league in home runs, RBIs, and OPS by a big margin. But then that drought really slowed him down, and it affected his hitting average. Finally, on Friday, in Game 2 against the arch-rivals the Boston Red Sox, Aaron Judge ended the longest home run drought of his career.
He hit a grand slam that helped his team win 5-4. It has been 16 games and 75 plate appearances since Judge hit a long ball back on August 25. On Friday, in the seventh inning, Aaron Judge launched a clutch drive off Cam Booster, the reliever, into the seats at the lower left field. That gave his team the 5-4 advantage. After the Game 2 win against the Red Sox, the Yankees now enjoy a three-game lead in the AL East over the Baltimore Orioles. Only 14 more games in the regular season to play.
The Yankees Captain Says He Doesn’t Focus On Hitting Longballs
After the win against the Boston Red Sox on Friday, Aaron Judge said, “It was 16 games, really? I didn’t know that,” as per The Associated Press. He added that it is just another day, and he does not really focus on hitting home runs. Moreover, the 2022 AL MVP says that he focuses on the job he has to do. However, the starting pitcher, Clarke Schmidt, didn’t agree with the captain. The starter smiled and said, “I think he is very aware of things like that. What do you guys think?”
When Judge hit his 52nd home run of the season, Schmidt said everybody in the training room, their side and in the stands, went crazy. He added, “It was such a special moment.” Other than homers, Aaron Judge also leads the league in RBIs with 130, he said, “I don’t know if 16 games is a lot. It may get longer at some phase in my career.” Hence, he would definitely like to break that.
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