NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge ended the longest home run drought of his career with a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning that rallied the New York Yankees past the Boston Red Sox 5-4 on Friday night.
The star slugger had gone 16 games and 75 plate appearances without a longball before launching a clutch drive into the lower left-field seats off reliever Cam Booser (2-3) for a 5-4 advantage.
New York won its third straight and extended its AL East lead to three games over Baltimore, held hitless for 8 2/3 innings by four Tigers pitchers in a 1-0 loss at Detroit. It is the Yankees’ largest cushion since they led by 3 1/2 games before a June 15 defeat at Boston that started a 4-14 slide.
“Hopefully nobody’s looking at the standings,” Judge said. “I’m certainly not.”
The fading Red Sox (74-74) are 4 1/2 games behind Minnesota for the league’s last wild card.
Mark Leiter Jr. (4-5) got four outs in relief of starter Clarke Schmidt for the win. Luke Weaver struck out five in two scoreless innings to earn his second career save.
“Just got to keep it rolling,” Judge said. “Everybody’s doing their job.”
Judge’s eighth career slam and second this season sent the Yankee Stadium crowd of 45,292 — and jubilant players in the New York dugout — into a jumping, dancing frenzy. The 6-foot-7 team captain popped out of the dugout for a curtain call.
“Tonight was rocking, especially in that seventh inning,” Judge said. “Kind of felt like a playoff atmosphere there in the seventh inning as we were kind of rallying. So, we’ve been waiting for that, that’s for sure.”
It was the 52nd homer of the season for Judge, who also leads the majors with 130 RBIs. He hadn’t gone deep since Aug. 25, when he homered twice against Colorado.
Judge hit nine homers in 10 games before the drought.
The 2022 AL MVP set a career worst when his homerless streak reached 16 games Thursday night against Boston.
Emergency starter Richard Fitts pitched five shutout innings for Boston after Tanner Houck was scratched less than an hour before the first pitch due to right shoulder fatigue.
“I think the team did everything they needed to do,” Booser said. “I think this is solely on me. Didn’t do my job.”
Masataka Yoshida snapped a scoreless tie when he connected for a two-run homer that chased Schmidt with two outs in the sixth.
Trevor Story hit a two-run shot off Leiter in the seventh for a 4-0 lead, his first home run this season after returning last weekend from a dislocated left shoulder that had sidelined him since April 6.
“It’s a tough one. No getting around it,” Story said. “Tough game. That kind of stuff can happen in the big leagues.”
Zack Kelly walked the bottom two batters in New York’s lineup starting the seventh and was removed after an RBI single by Gleyber Torres. Juan Soto drew a four-pitch walk from Booser before Judge connected on a 2-0 fastball.
“I think this probably might be my most memorable win of my career so far here. I think just the magnitude of that homer,” said Schmidt, who made his second start since since recovering from a strained right lat muscle.
“It was like everything clicked. It was a perfect moment. Just really special. The whole team’s kind of a part of it.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: OF Rob Refsnyder (right wrist discomfort) remained out of the starting lineup, but manager Alex Cora said he hopes Refsnyder can start Sunday against left-hander Carlos Rodón. … RHP Liam Hendriks said he still hopes to pitch for the Red Sox this season despite a small setback in his rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery — but that will largely depend on whether they remain in the pennant race. Hendriks will receive a cortisone injection in his right elbow Monday in Boston and then be shut down for about three days before he resumes throwing.
Yankees: Manager Aaron Boone said Judge will probably be the designated hitter Saturday to give him a bit of a breather.
UP NEXT
Red Sox RHP Brayan Bello (13-7, 4.70 ERA) faces Yankees ace Gerrit Cole (6-4, 3.36) on Saturday.
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