The New York Yankees crushed the Kansas City Royals, 10-1, on Tuesday night, and two of the biggest highlights came in the top of the eighth inning. That's when sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton sent two baseballs toward the state line.
Judge's blast, his 25th of the season, went into the fountain in center field and added to his league-leading total.
There is nothing cheap about this home run.
To the fountain for the Captain ⛲️@TheJudge44 pic.twitter.com/qTv94FOX6H
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 12, 2024
He is four home runs ahead of the league's next closest player (Baltimore Orioles infielder Gunnar Henderson) and is not only establishing himself as the frontrunner for American League MVP, but also a candidate to make another run at 60-plus home runs.
As impressive as Judge's home run was, Stanton's two batters later might have been even more impressive as it cleared three different walls in center field. The collective reaction from the crowd when that ball landed was telling.
446 ft. Big G things.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 12, 2024
https://t.co/tjcLdSQDcT pic.twitter.com/qJgxbFcX6N
Stanton might not hit for average, be able to play the field, or run particularly well anymore, but he remains one of the most imposing right-handed power bats in the league. He is now at 16 home runs on the season.
With Judge, Juan Soto, Stanton and Anthony Volpe all clicking, not to mention an impressive starting rotation that is set to get the 2023 American League Cy Young winner (Gerrit Cole) back shortly, the Yankees are looking like a legitimate World Series contender.
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