Aaron Judge continues to swing one of the hottest bats in baseball, and he showed no signs of slowing down in the Yankees’ 5-1 win over the Guardians on Wednesday afternoon at Progressive Field. The reigning AL MVP went 2-for-4 with an RBI triple, helping New York snap a two-game skid and avoid a sweep in the series finale.
Aaron Judge stays red-hot as Yankees avoid sweep in Cleveland
In 25 games this season, Aaron Judge is slashing an eye-popping .415/.513/.734, leading all of Major League Baseball in all three categories. He also ranks first in hits (39) and has added seven home runs, 26 RBIs, and three stolen bases to his stat line.
His first at-bat on Wednesday was nearly another home run. Facing Cleveland right-hander Luis L. Ortiz, Aaron Judge crushed a deep drive to left-center that missed clearing the wall by inches. According to Statcast, the ball would’ve been a home run in 28 other ballparks. Instead, it ricocheted high off the wall, and Judge motored around the bases for an RBI triple, sliding into third safely.
Aaron Judge later scored on Paul Goldschmidt’s double, giving the Yankees an early lead that starter Carlos Rodón wouldn’t relinquish. Rodón turned in one of his sharpest outings of the season, tossing seven innings of one-run ball. He allowed four hits and two walks while striking out eight, lowering his ERA to 2.84 on the season.
Despite the offseason departures of Juan Soto (free agency) and the absence of Giancarlo Stanton due to injury, Judge hasn’t skipped a beat. Entering play Wednesday, the 32-year-old slugger was batting .411 with a .509 on-base percentage, numbers that rank among the best starts to a season in recent memory.
Aaron Judge’s early-season dominance has placed him among elite company. Per @JayHayKid of Underdog Fantasy, Judge became just the fourth American League player in the Wild Card Era (since 1995) to post a .400+ batting average with 25+ RBIs through his first 25 games. The others: Joe Mauer (2009), Marty Cordova (2001), and Manny Ramirez (1995, 2001).
In Yankees franchise history, Aaron Judge is the first to reach those marks in the opening 25 games of a season since Paul O’Neill accomplished the feat in 1994.
Aaron Judge, a two-time MVP, six-time All-Star, and four-time Silver Slugger, is building a résumé that could land him in Cooperstown one day. His lifetime batting average now stands at .291, and his 2025 start has only reinforced his status as one of the most feared hitters in baseball.
The Yankees now return home, where Aaron Judge and the red-hot Bronx Bombers will look to build on their strong start. Up next: a Friday night matchup at Yankee Stadium. Fans who haven’t already secured their tickets may want to act fast—just like Aaron Judge rounding the bases.
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