New York Yankees 6-2 San Francisco Giants
SAN FRANCISCO — Wrapping up an impressive May, Aaron Judge hit two home runs during his first game in San Francisco, leading the New York Yankees to a 6-2 win against the Giants on Friday night.
Aaron Judge, originally from nearby Linden, became a highly sought-after free agent in December 2022, drawing significant interest from the San Francisco Giants. Despite their strong efforts to sign him, Judge chose to remain with the Yankees, securing his future with a monumental nine-year, $360 million contract.
The San Francisco crowd on Friday night greeted Judge with boos during his at-bats, but the slugger remained unfazed. He quickly reminded the Giants and their fans of what they missed. Following a first-inning single, Judge hit a three-run homer to left field in the third inning off Jordan Hicks (4-2). He then added an impressive solo home run in the sixth inning, marking his 20th homer of the season and maintaining his lead in the major leagues.
Judge Leads Yankees to Historic Start with Monstrous May
Aaron Judge has been on a phenomenal run this month, posting numbers rarely seen in Yankees history. In May alone, Judge hit an incredible 14 home runs and 12 doubles, driving in 29 runs. This offensive explosion translates to an impressive 26 extra-base hits, the most by any Yankee in a single month since Joe DiMaggio‘s iconic 31 in July 1937! This accomplishment is even more remarkable considering it is only the eighth instance since World War II that any Major League Baseball player has recorded that many extra-base hits in a month.
Judge’s blazing bat has fueled the Yankees to a dominant 14-4 record in their last 18 games, placing them in an exclusive group – becoming just the fourth team ever to achieve 40 wins before June 1st.
Marcus Stroman (5-2) took advantage of Judge’s offensive support, pitching a solid 7 1/3 innings and allowing only two runs to secure the win. Stroman’s performance also extended an impressive Yankees pitching streak – tying a franchise record set in 1981 with their 18th consecutive start where a pitcher has gone at least five innings and allowed no more than three runs.
On the other hand, Gerrit Cole‘s counterpart, Jordan Hicks (4-3), had an uncharacteristically tough night. After a stellar start to the season where he allowed one earned run or fewer in seven of his first 11 appearances, Hicks struggled against the Judge-led Yankees offense, giving up five runs in just 5 1/3 innings.
The Yankees Roster
Up Next
Right-hander Cody Poteet (1-0, 1.50 ERA) is set to start for the Yankees in the pivotal middle game of their series against the San Francisco Giants. Poteet aims to maintain his impressive early-season performance, featuring a win and an outstanding 1.50 ERA.
Facing Poteet will be San Francisco’s Logan Webb (4-4, 2.74 ERA), who has also been in excellent form, allowing only two earned runs over his last three starts. The Yankees will need Poteet to be at his best to counter Webb’s recent dominance.
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