On a night of three home runs, Aaron Judge creates Yankees history.Aaron Judge became the first player in New York Yankees history to hit three home runs in a single season on Friday night at Yankee Stadium against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
|Art or Photo Credit: AP NEW YORK (AP) — On Friday night, the New York Yankees defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-1, making Aaron Judge the first player in Yankees history to have two three-homer performances in a single season.
The Diamondbacks now trail the Chicago Cubs by just one game for the second of the three National League Wild Card places, ending Arizona’s five-game winning streak. After losing six of seven games to the Mets, Arizona’s record versus New York teams fell to 1-7 this season.
Judge blasted two runs in the fifth inning against rookie starter Brandon Pfaadt (2–9) and launched a three-run shot in the third. In the seventh inning, the slugger drove Slade Cecconi solo for his third home run.
For Judge, it was his second career three-home run game; the first came just a month ago. On August 23, at home against Washington, he also went deep three times, which helped New York snap their first nine-game losing run since 1982.
Judge tied a career-high six RBIs while going 4-for-4 with a double. He is striking.267 in 100 games this season with 35 home runs and 70 RBIs.
It was the reigning AL MVP’s eighth career four-hit game and his first since Cincinnati on May 20. For the fourth time in his career, he drove in six.
The Yankees, who were two games over.500 at 78-76, were trying to avoid their first losing season since they finished 76-86 in 1992, Buck Showalter’s debut season as manager. They are still very much out of the running for the playoffs.
With Judge’s first home run, the Yankees led 3-0. Pfaadt misplayed Oswald Peraza’s gentle comebacker, and two batters later, Judge hoisted a first-pitch sinker into right-center of the New York bullpen.
In the fifth, he drove a double to right-center, making the score 6-0. In response to a curtain call from the 39,143 spectators at Yankee Stadium following his seventh-inning smash, Judge tipped his cap as teammate Gleyber Torres emerged from the batter’s box.
Estevan Florial made the final out of the eighth, leaving Judge in the on-deck circle.
The judge is striking.267 in 100 games this season with 35 home runs and 70 RBIs. He sprained his right big toe at Dodger Stadium on June 3, which kept him out of action for about eight weeks. On July 28, he made a comeback to the lineup.
The five-time All-Star broke the previous American League mark of 61 home runs set by legendary Yankees slugger Roger Maris in 1961 with 62 hits in the previous season.
Luke Weaver (3-5), a former Diamondbacks pitcher, won his first game for the Yankees in his second start since being obtained off waivers by Seattle on September 14. It was his first win since July 3rd against Cincinnati, giving up just four hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Pitching for his first career save, Jhony Brito gave up Christian Walker’s 31st home run in the ninth inning.
Seven days after tossing five and a third scoreless innings against the Cubs, Pfaddt gave up eight hits and five earned runs in four and a half innings.
