Watch: Aaron Judge has first career three-home run game
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge had himself a night on Wednesday.
After hitting 62 home runs last year, which was the seventh-most ever in a single season, Judge has struggled mightily this year. Having missed 54 games already due to injury, the 2022 American League MVP is hitting 32 points less than a year ago and is suffering through the second-worst strikeout rate of his career.
But he finally got things going against the Washington Nationals, hitting a career-high three home runs to go with a personal-best six RBI to lead the last-place Yanks to a 9-1 win at home to avoid the team's first 10-game losing streak in more than 100 years.
He got things going early with a shot over the center field fence in the bottom of the first inning.
But he was far from done. In fact, it only took him until his next at-bat in the third inning to make it two shots in two attempts.
And he did this one in grand style.
With the Yankees very much in control late in the game, up 7-0, all that was left for Judge was to keep the barrage going. And when his turn came around again in the seventh, the big man went oppo with it to give himself the trifecta.
Judge may be striking out too much, he may not be driving in runs at the rate he's used to and his Yankees are enduring their worst season in more than a decade. However, despite playing in just over half his team's games, he still ranks fifth in the AL in homers (27).
And there's nobody more excited to see Judge getting his stroke back than Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who may be spending his last season in the Bronx if the team doesn't finish the last 40 games strong.
Boone knows the importance of Judge being in the lineup and what he brings to the team.
"He's just a special player," Boone said. "It's pretty remarkable what he does under any circumstances."
Despite the win Wednesday, the Yankees remain in last in the American League East at 61-65 and sit 9.5 games out of the final wild-card spot.
They'll host the Nationals again Thursday before traveling to Tampa to face the second-place Rays in a three-game set over the weekend.
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