Aaron Judge hit his 36th home run this season, tying Alex Rodriguez for sixth place in Yankees history, as New York defeated the Atlanta Braves on Sunday. Judge’s solo homer in the first inning was his 351st career homer against the Yankees, matching legends like A-Rod, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, and Yogi Berra.
Judge also scored after Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s double in the seventh inning, finishing with a walk and two runs in four plate appearances. Marcus Stroman (2-1), pitching his fourth start since coming back from a knee injury, delivered six solid innings, allowing one run on five hits, striking out four, and not issuing any walks—the longest outing of his season.
Paul Goldschmidt contributed a 3-1 walk, RBI, and a run, while Giancarlo Stanton added a 5-3 run. Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a solo home run in the ninth off Devin Williams, who secured the Yankees’ 14th save of the season. Matt Olson launched his 18th home run, a 442-foot blast that landed atop the right field clubhouse in the sixth inning.
Atlanta’s Grant Holmes (4-9) gave up three runs on seven hits over six innings. In the third inning, the Braves loaded the bases with no outs, but Jurickson Profar popped up a bunt to third baseman Jorbit Vivas, and Olson hit into a double play to end the threat. This win keeps the Yankees within three games of the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East ahead of their three-game series in Toronto starting Monday.
Report by Associated Press.
Fan Take: This game highlights Aaron Judge’s continued dominance and the strength of the Yankees’ pitching staff, crucial for the team’s playoff push. For baseball fans, it underscores the excitement of historic milestones and fierce division races that keep the sport thrilling.
