Aaron Judge ended the longest home run drought of his career with a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning that lifted the New York Yankees over the Boston Red Sox 5-4 on Friday night. The star slugger had gone 16 games and 75 plate appearances without a home run before launching a clutch drive into the lower left-field seats off reliever Cam Booser for a 5-4 advantage.
New York extended its lead in the AL East to three games over Baltimore, who were held hitless for 8 2/3 innings by four Tigers pitchers in a 1-0 loss at Detroit. The Yankees now have their largest cushion since leading by 3 1/2 games before a June 15 defeat at Boston that sparked a 4-14 slide.
Mark Leiter Jr. got four outs in relief of starter Clarke Schmidt for the win, while Luke Weaver struck out five in two scoreless innings for his second career save. Judge’s eighth career grand slam and second of the season sent the Yankee Stadium crowd of 45,292 into a frenzy, prompting him to come out of the dugout for a curtain call.
Judge’s home run was his 52nd of the season, as he continues to lead the majors with 130 RBIs. He hadn’t hit a home run since August 25, when he homered twice against Colorado. Judge had hit nine home runs in 10 games before the drought.
The 2022 AL MVP had set a career worst when his homerless streak reached 16 games, but he came through with a crucial grand slam to help the Yankees secure the win.
Emergency starter Richard Fitts pitched five shutout innings for Boston after Tanner Houck was scratched less than an hour before the game due to right shoulder fatigue. Trevor Story hit a two-run shot off Leiter in the seventh to give the Red Sox a 4-0 lead, marking his first home run of the season since returning from a shoulder injury that had sidelined him since April.
Masataka Yoshida broke the scoreless tie with a two-run home run that chased Schmidt from the game in the sixth inning. Zack Kelly walked the bottom two batters in New York’s lineup to start the seventh, leading to an RBI single by Gleyber Torres and eventually Judge’s grand slam.
In the injury report, Red Sox outfielder Rob Refsnyder remained out of the starting lineup with right wrist discomfort, but manager Alex Cora hoped he could return on Sunday against left-hander Carlos Rodón. Additionally, Liam Hendriks expressed his desire to pitch for Boston this season despite a setback in his rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone mentioned that Judge would likely serve as the designated hitter on Saturday to give him a break. The next matchup features Red Sox right-hander Brayan Bello facing Yankees ace Gerrit Cole on Saturday.
Overall, the game was an exciting and pivotal moment for the Yankees as they look to maintain their lead in the AL East and secure a spot in the postseason. Judge’s grand slam was a highlight of the night, showing his ability to come through in clutch situations and provide a much-needed boost for his team.