Hope had been all but lost for the Yankees going into Wednesday night’s game against the Nationals. New York had dropped nine straight and fallen to 60–65 on the year, making any sort of late-season push seem hopeless.
But no one seemed to tell Aaron Judge that.
The star outfielder exploded for a career night Wednesday, smashing three home runs to finally snap the Yankees’ losing streak and power New York to a 9–1 victory. Judge’s performance marked the first time in his accomplished career that he’d hit three homers in a single game.
Judge got the action started early, blasting a solo shot in the bottom of the first inning to give the Yankees a 1–0 lead. With the bases loaded in the following inning, the 31-year-old delivered once again, crushing a grand slam to dead center to extend New York’s lead out to six.
AARON JUDGE GRAND SLAM 👨⚖️
(via @Yankees)pic.twitter.com/gRZ6l4R4NP
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) August 23, 2023
Still, Judge wasn’t done.
With the Yankees cruising, up 7–0 in the seventh inning, the reigning American League MVP hit his third homer of the game, a solo shot to cap off his career night. Judge joined elite company with the three-home run performance, becoming the first Yankee with three home runs in a game—one of which was a grand slam—since Alex Rodriguez did on April 26, 2005, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
FIRST CAREER THREE-HOMER GAME FOR AARON JUDGE pic.twitter.com/R4kO5DKcxW
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 24, 2023
Between Judge’s hot bat and a strong performance from Luis Severino on the bump, the Yankees maintained a shutout until late in Wednesday’s contest and ultimately were able to stop their recent downward spiral. Now up to 61–65 on the year, but still well out of the AL playoff race, New York will look to keep the momentum going on Thursday as it closes out a four-game set with Washington.
