When a hitter is mentioned in the same company as Babe Ruth, it’s usually a good thing.
That was the case Saturday afternoon for Aaron Judge, whose two-run home run in the first inning of the Yankees’ 8-3 win over the Blue Jays in the Bronx tied him with the Bambino for a nearly century-old franchise record.
Judge now boasts 16 first-inning home runs this season, matching the number Ruth hit in the opening frame of his famous 60-homer campaign in 1927.
Only Alex Rodriguez, who hit 18 first-inning home runs with Texas in 2001, and Mark McGwire, who hit 17 with St. Louis two years earlier, struck more in a single season in MLB history.
Judge’s 426-foot blast against Toronto’s José Berríos gave the Yankees (66-46) an early 2-1 advantage Saturday, and they led the rest of the way.
It was Judge’s MLB-leading 41st home run of the season, putting him on pace for 59. Judge had 45 home runs through the Yankees’ 112th game of 2022, when he set an American League single-season record with 62.
Saturday’s shot set the tone for the Yankees in an afternoon all about power.
Yankees starter Carlos Rodón overpowered Toronto (51-60) with his four-seam fastball, using the pitch to record 13 swings and misses and to finish off six of his eight strikeouts. He allowed three runs on three hits over 5.1 innings.
Rodón’s overreliance on his fastball earlier this summer caused him to be too predictable early in games, but he repeatedly executed his four-seamer on Saturday, throwing it for 61 of his 106 pitches (58%) and maxing it out at 99.6 mph.
His fastball averaged 96.4 mph, up from his season average of 95.5 mph.
The left-hander improved to 3-0 with a 2.89 ERA over his last three starts after struggling to an 0-5 record and a 9.67 ERA over his previous six.
Rodón received plenty of run support, with Trent Grisham hitting a two-run home run off of Berríos in the second inning and Anthony Volpe adding a two-run blast against the right-hander in the fifth. Volpe tacked on an RBI single in the seventh inning, and Austin Wells’ RBI single in the eighth concluded the scoring.
Saturday marked the return of Gleyber Torres, who was benched during Friday’s 8-5 loss to Toronto after failing to hustle out of the batter’s box on what ended up being a 363-foot single off of the left-field wall.
Torres started at second base and batted fifth Saturday, going 1-for-4 with a walk and a run.
Judge finished 2-for-3 and drew two walks, including one intentionally with the bases empty and two outs in the second inning. That free pass drew groans from the Yankee Stadium crowd, as did his seventh-inning walk on five pitches.
The Yankees have now won six of their last seven games and will try Sunday to win their third consecutive series. Gerrit Cole (3-2, 5.40 ERA) is scheduled to pitch for the Yankees for the first time since being scratched Tuesday with body fatigue. Yariel Rodríguez (1-4, 4.31 ERA) is set to start for Toronto.
