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Mike Trout, Aaron Judge put on another power show
Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout watches his home run Wednesday against the Yankees. Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Mike Trout, Aaron Judge put on another power show

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout and New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge have been two of the best players in Major League Baseball for more than a decade. Both three-time MVPs, Trout and Judge continued to carve their names into the history books Thursday.

On a toasty afternoon in the Bronx, Judge homered in the first inning of New York's 11-4 loss, bringing his HR total for the series against the Angels to four.

Trout homered in every game in the series and five times overall. According to MLB's Sarah Langs, this is the second series in which two multiple MVP winners have hit three or more home runs. This was the first time in history that opponents have done it. 

Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle (five) and Roger Maris (four) accomplished it against the Kansas City Athletics in July 1962. According to Langs, Trout is the first opposing player to homer in four consecutive games in Yankee Stadium.

Have Aaron Judge, Mike Trout recaptured MVP form?

Judge and Trout have been on a tear power-wise, excellent signs for their teams. Trout has six home runs in 18 games; Judge's Thursday blast was his eighth.

Because of injuries over the past two seasons, Trout has not played like his MVP self. From 2020-25, he played in 449 of a possible 972 games. Trout has not eclipsed 30 homers in a season since 2022, when he had 40.

It's way early, but Trout is on pace to have his first 50-home run season of his career. The nine-time Silver Slugger’s career high in home runs came in 2019, when he hit 45. 

As for Judge, he's off to a slow start, hitting .236, far off his .293 career mark.

Zachary Cariola

My name is Zachary Cariola and I have been a sports fan for as long as I can remember. My areas of expertise are MLB, NBA, and NFL. When I’m not writing, I love spending time with my family and learning history. 

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