When the time comes for arbitration or further negotiations on a long-term contract extension, Aaron Judge and his camp may want to have the highlights from the Yankees’ game Friday night at the ready.
With the lackluster offense in need of a jolt, Judge answered the call by crushing a pair of home runs, while also flashing his strong arm in center field, to lead the Yankees to a 4-1 win over the Guardians at Yankee Stadium.
Jameson Taillon threw five solid innings of one-run ball, Michael King struck out eight in three dazzling innings of relief and Aroldis Chapman locked down his fourth save of the season as the Yankees (8-6) opened a six-game homestand on the right foot.
Judge, playing on the final year of his contract after he and the Yankees failed to agree to an extension by Opening Day, had reached base safely in each of his first 12 starts of the season. But his trademark power had mostly been missing, with just one home run through his first 13 games.
That changed in a hurry Friday, as Judge drilled two home runs in his first three at-bats, both opposite-field shots, to provide three-quarters of the offense on the night.
Aaron Judge launches a solo home run in the 5th inning. Robert SaboJudge gave the Yankees their first hit of the night and the lead on one swing in the third inning. After DJ LeMahieu drew a two-out walk, Judge smacked an Eli Morgan fastball to right-center field to put the Yankees up 2-0.
The Guardians (7-6) cut that lead in half the next half inning, when Franmil Reyes skied a solo home run off Taillon to make it 2-1.
Each of Taillon’s next two pitches were hit even harder, though he didn’t get much help from Joey Gallo on the second one. After Josh Naylor singled, former Met Amed Rosario drilled a line drive to left field. Gallo took a poor route to the ball and let it get over his head for a double.
Jameson Taillon pitches Friday during the Yankees’ win over the Guardians. Robert SaboIt was just part of another rough night for Gallo, who went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and heard louder boos throughout the game.
But Taillon was able to make sure the fielding gaffe didn’t come back to cost him, retiring the next two batters to strand runners at second and third.
The Yankees got the run back in the bottom of the fourth. Following Gleyber Torres’ two-out single, which put runners on the corners, Isiah Kiner-Falefa stayed hot by lining a single to left field to push the Yankees’ lead to 3-1.
Aaron Judge celebrates after hitting a home run. Robert SaboSince starting the season 1-for-17, Kiner-Falefa is now 11-for-26 over his last eight games.
Judge’s arm helped Taillon avoid another run in the fifth. Andres Gimenez, another former Met, led off with a single. One out later, he tried to go first to third on Steven Kwan’s single to center field. But Judge uncorked a bullet to third base, and Josh Donaldson slapped the tag on Gimenez for the second out of the inning.
Taillon then stranded Kwan at second base by getting the red-hot Jose Ramirez to fly out to Judge to end the inning.
