Aaron Judge became the first player in team history with multiple three-homer games in the same season, and the New York Yankees cruised to a 7-1 victory over the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night.
Judge hit a three-run homer in the third inning and a two-run home run in the fifth off Arizona rookie starter Brandon Pfaadt (2-9). He got his third homer with a solo shot off Slade Cecconi in the seventh.
It was Judge’s second career three-homer game. He also went deep three times on Aug. 23 against Washington when the Yankees stopped their first nine-game losing streak since 1982.
Judge went 4-for-4 and tied a career-high with six RBIs.
The Diamondbacks (81-73) saw their five-game winning streak stopped, and their lead over the Cubs reduced to one game for the second of three National League wild-card spots.
Trying to avoid their first losing season since going 76-86 in 1992 during Buck Showalter’s first season as manager, the Yankees moved two games over .500 to 78-76.
Judge’s first homer gave the Yankees a 3-0 lead. Two batters after Pfaadt committed an error by misplaying Oswald Peraza’s comebacker, Judge lifted a first-pitch sinker into the New York bullpen in right-center.
The Yankees held a 4-0 lead following Estevan Florial’s RBI double off the left field wall, when Judge drove a fastball into the right field seats for his second blast of the night.
The reigning AL MVP gave the Yankees a 7-0 lead by lining a pitch into the right field second deck. After reaching the dugout, Judge received a curtain call from the crowd of 39,143.
It was Judge’s eighth career four-hit game and fourth game with at least six RBIs.
In his second start since being claimed off waivers from Seattle earlier less than two weeks earlier, Luke Weaver (3-5) allowed four hits in 5 1/3 innings for his first win since July 3 with Cincinnati. He struck out three without a walk.
Jhony Brito allowed Christian Walker’s 31st homer and pitched 3 2/3 innings for his first career save.
Pfaadt allowed six runs (five earned) and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings with eight strikeouts. He did not walk a batter.
–Field Level Media
