Even in the loss, Aaron Judge did something unforgettable.
On Thursday, as the ball rolled out of Yankee Stadium, Judge hit Houston’s Ryan Pressley with a 473-foot shot to left-center field in the bottom of the eighth inning, the third longest home run of his career.
This home run brought the Yankees within one point, but it wasn’t enough as they lost 4-3.
Still, it caught the attention of Aaron Boone.
“Not many people go to that spot,” Boone said of the shot that landed next to the left-center bleachers.
Judge also hit home runs of 496 feet and 495 feet, with the 496-footer coming off current teammate Marcus Stroman against the Blue Jays.
“He’s special,” Stroman said of the judge. “And he’s not even hot yet.”
If not, he’s getting closer.
Judge is currently tied with Juan Soto for the team lead with nine home runs, three in the last four games and six in the last 15 games.
Judge said he hadn’t seen the replay of the recent outburst and was more concerned about getting the Yankees within one point in the game.
But his performance during the six-game homestand — 10-for-22, four doubles, three homers, four walks, and seven RBIs — is reason to be optimistic that Judge has found his groove. is.
DJ LeMahieu (foot) will take batting practice before Thursday’s game and will travel with the Yankees to Tampa, where he plans to step up his baseball activities by taking live batting practice.
Gerrit Cole (elbow) will also have bullpen sessions.
Nick Vardy is expected to return from a hip injury on Friday, and Ron Marinacio was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after Thursday’s loss.
The right-handed pitcher has continued to perform well since allowing a home run in his first pitch of the season, pitching nine scoreless innings on Thursday.
The Yankees also added depth to their minor league bullpen on Thursday by acquiring right-hander Colby White from waivers from the Rays. They assigned the 25-year-old to Double-A Somerset.
White had been designated for assignment by Tampa Bay. He returned from Tommy John surgery last season, but played in seven games this year with Triple-A Durham and had a terrible showing.
Boone is one of those keeping an eye on the Knicks and Rangers making the playoffs.
“Certainly, it was great for New York,” Boone said. “You can feel that buzz. It’s amazing.”
He was one of those who noticed that the Rangers’ highlights were displayed on the stadium’s scoreboard.
“When they throw the Rangers that far, you know they’re getting close,” Boone said. “[Wednesday] That night, on the bench, I said that the Knicks couldn’t win because I hadn’t watched the highlights all night. ”
The bat boy in the dugout told Boone that the Knicks were actually trailing by 10 points before they fought back.
“You can feel the energy and excitement about what the Knicks and Rangers are doing,” Boone said. “I hope the Rangers and Knicks can play for at least another month.”
Trent Grisham was a little-known addition in the Soto trade during the offseason, but more than a month into the season, the outfield addition has barely seen the field.
This is a good problem for Boone. That means Soto, Judge, Alex Verdugo and DH Giancarlo Stanton are healthy.
But that also made it difficult for Coach Boone to give Grisham playing time. And while Grisham has played, he hasn’t had much success.
He had just two hits and five walks in 34 at-bats, most of which came when Verdugo was unable to make the paternity list.
Boone said he expects Grisham to play in one or two games in Tampa Bay’s upcoming series, but Judge will likely be off center for at least one game on the tough turf at Tropicana Field. This is not surprising given that.
And the Yankees are hoping for more production.
“There will be opportunities like that.” [for Grisham to play more]” said Boone. “But it’s been a little bit harder because we’ve been through this period where our players have been healthy and performed strong.”
