Additional Coverage:
- WATCH: Aaron Judge snaps longest home run drought of career with grand slam vs. Red Sox (newsbreak.com)
On Friday night, Aaron Judge ended his longest home run drought in spectacular fashion. The Yankees’ star hit a grand slam in the seventh inning against the Boston Red Sox, shifting the score from a 4-1 deficit to a 5-4 lead in favor of New York. This marked Judge’s first home run since he hit two against the Colorado Rockies on August 25.
The Yankees shared the moment on Twitter, proclaiming, “Captain. Clutch.
Grand. Slam.
#ALLRISE,” accompanied by a video of Judge’s grand slam.
Before this, Judge had gone 16 games without a home run, setting a new personal record. His previous longest drought was 15 games during his rookie year in 2017. Over those 16 games, he managed to get 12 hits in 58 at-bats, which included three doubles.
Speaking to the New York Post after a game on Thursday, Judge commented on his dry spell, saying, “It’s just baseball. I’m feeling fine and the results will be there.”
Judge’s grand slam was his 52nd home run of the season, leading the MLB. He is on pace to hit 57 home runs this season and has a history of hitting homers in rapid succession—he hit 10 home runs in the 13 games before his 16-game drought. A quick surge in home runs could see him exceed 60 again this season.
As of Friday, Judge, 32, boasts a .319 batting average, a .453 on-base percentage, and a .683 slugging percentage. He leads the league in on-base and slugging percentages, along with several other categories.