Aaron Judge’s home run drought ended when he hit a walk-off blast in the ninth inning of a scoreless game against the Rays. The Yankees had lost four straight to Tampa Bay and needed a win, even in late May. Judge stepped to the plate against Kevin Kelly, and the first pitch—a 93-mph sinker—cut toward the inside and landed in the right-centerfield seats. The homer was Judge’s fourth since 2022, tied for the most in the majors during that span, and it ended a 55-plate-appearance stretch without a homer. Judge said he felt no frustration and focused on helping the team win through other ways, while noting the team had not been winning.
"Ultimately, Aaron Judge was going to hit another home run. It's as natural as breathing for the three-time MVP, so the fact that he went 11 games without launching a baseball over the fence meant one was on the way, sooner rather than later."
"So in the ninth inning of a scoreless game on Sunday, everyone at the Stadium had an idea what was coming when Judge stepped to the plate to face Kevin Kelly. The Yankees, watching from the dugout rail, toed the line between excitedly hopeful and secretly convinced."
"Kelly's first pitch to Judge was a 93-mph sinker that cut toward the inside of the plate and wound up landing a few rows deep in the right-centerfield seats to deliver a 2-0 victory for the Yankees."
""I really didn't know about it until you guys bring it up," he said. "But there's no frustration. I got a job to do. Obviously, I want to get the job done and help the team win. And we weren't winning, so I was mad about that. But no homers, no RBIs? You can find other ways to help your team win, so that's what I was trying to do. I'm glad the homer and RBIs came in a win for us.""
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