NEW YORK – Aaron Judge claimed a share of the Major League home run lead on Tuesday, cracking his 12th blast of the season in the Yankees’ 12-3 win over the Padres at Yankee Stadium.
Judge launched a solo blast off former teammate Michael King in the fourth inning, a Statcast-projected 341-foot shot to right field that came off the captain’s bat at 102.0 mph.
The homer ties the Mariners’ Cal Raleigh and the Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber (12) for the most among big leaguers this season, with an important caveat: Remember, Judge lost a replay-reviewed homer on April 20 against the Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla.
Regardless, Judge is continuing one of the hottest starts of his career, with a potential run at the Triple Crown in play.
Judge entered play Tuesday leading the Majors with a .412 batting average and pacing the AL in RBIs (Tuesday’s homer gave him 34).
Though Judge’s 14-game hitting streak was snapped in Monday’s series opener, Tuesday’s homer extended his on-base streak to 32 games, tying for the third longest of his career.