Judge scores 3, Yanks beat Twins 12-6 to avoid sweep

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New York Yankees 12, Minnesota Twins 6

MINNEAPOLIS — Aaron Judge’s 31st birthday could have gone badly, especially since the New York Yankees were in a slump and he tried to steal a base but failed.

Judge and the Yankees were in a much better mood when they left Minnesota.

Aaron Judge had three hits, drove in three runs, and avoided getting hurt, which helped the Yankees beat the Twins 12-6 on Wednesday and avoid a rare sweep.

“It would’ve been a sad birthday if we would’ve got swept here,” Judge said.

Gleyber Torres hit a two-run homer into the second deck during a six-run fourth inning against Kenta Maeda (0-4), who left the mound with Twins trainer Nick Paparesta for the second straight start and was hit with a career-worst 11 hits and 10 runs. Manager Rocco Baldelli said later that Maeda’s arm muscles were hurting.

Anthony Volpe and Anthony Rizzo each hit a two-run double off of Maeda, and the Yankees‘ lineup, which has been struggling due to injuries, hit a season-high 14 hits and scored 12 runs. In their last five games, they only scored eight runs and lost four of them.

“I feel like the past couple games, couple series, we’ve been a little passive and almost letting the pitcher kind of dictate the at-bat and dictate the flow of the game,” Judge said.

With their 6-2 win over the Yankees on Tuesday, the Twins clinched the season series. It was their first win over the Yankees since 2001. Since a two-game set at the Metrodome in 1998, when the Twins beat their biggest rival, they still haven’t done it again. In 1991, they beat the Yankees in three straight games. Since 2002, the Yankees are 117-44 against the Twins, including the playoffs.

Judge tried to steal third base after hitting a three-run double in the second inning, but he was caught when his shoulders moved forward before his arms. His right hand was stuck in the dirt from the weight of his body, and he jogged off the field and up the tunnel to the clubhouse without stopping. This made people in the bench look worried.

“Getting thrown out’s pretty embarrassing, even on your birthday, so I was just mad about that,” Judge said.

When Judge got back to the bench, he squeezed and flexed his wrist. In his next three at-bats, he walked, hit a single, and struck out looking, which was convenient since he was taking a turn as the designated hitter. Manager Aaron Boone said that if Judge had come up again, he probably would have hit in for him.

Last season, the Yankees’ $360 million slugger hit 62 home runs, which was an American League record. Harrison Bader, Josh Donaldson, and Giancarlo Stanton are already on the disabled list.

“When you’re going through a little stretch where you’re having a real hard time scoring runs, it’s definitely nice to break through,” Boone said.

In 33 career starts against the Twins, Judge has hit .316 with 31 runs, 12 doubles, 10 home runs, 28 RBI, and 31 walks. He has reached base in all but one of those games.

UP NEXT

The Yankees’ four-game series at Texas starts Thursday night with RHP Gerrit Cole (4-0, 0.79 ERA) on the field.

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