NEW YORK – There was plenty of discussion after Juan Soto remarked this week that things feel different without Aaron Judge lurking in the on-deck circle. But one piece of that commentary went without debate: The Yankees’ captain really may be, as the Mets’ star said, “the best hitter in baseball.”
Judge’s go-ahead seventh-inning homer highlighted a three-hit performance on Wednesday evening at Yankee Stadium, leading the Yankees to a 4-3 victory over the Royals. The Yanks completed a three-game sweep of Kansas City, a rematch of last year’s American League Division Series.
“It’s truly amazing,” said Cody Bellinger, who made a terrific catch that robbed MJ Melendez of a potentially game-tying hit in the ninth inning, preserving Fernando Cruz’s first career save. “I just feel like, in any situation, he’s going to come out on top. He’s the best player on this planet, and it’s fun to watch.”
Added right-hander Clarke Schmidt, who tossed 5 2/3 innings of three-run ball in his season debut: “He just does it all, obviously. He’s Captain America.”
With seven home runs, Judge is tied for second in the Majors, behind only the Athletics’ Tyler Soderstrom (eight). After enduring a slow March/April last year, the reigning AL Most Valuable Player tweaked his spring workload in hopes of getting off to a hot start.
He is succeeding, reaching base four times on Wednesday and leading the Majors in batting average (.409), on-base percentage (.519) and slugging percentage (.803). Yankees manager Aaron Boone sensed Judge was locked in and “on everything” the whole night, noting, “I felt like he was just seeing it well.”
Yet Judge hadn’t homered since April 4 in Pittsburgh, a span of 10 games. And he was beginning to hear a few playful barbs on the topic from his teammates.
“It felt like he was just hitting a bunch of singles and doubles,” Schmidt said. “I was like, ‘You’ve got to get one out of the park.’ He was like, ‘I know. I’m hitting too many singles.’ It was good to see him lift one out of here.”
Judge said he wasn’t trying to go deep in the seventh inning, when he clipped a John Schreiber sinker into the right-field bullpen.
“I want to get on base. That’s the biggest thing, hitting in the middle of the order and hitting second a lot,” Judge said. “I’ve got to touch first base. That’s my job; touch first base and let the guys behind me do their thing, and if there’s guys out there on the pond, try to drive them in.”
The blast helped the Yanks finish on top after Schmidt’s solid effort kept them in the game. The Yankees entered the spring boasting arguably the game’s most formidable rotation, but injuries to Gerrit Cole (Tommy John surgery) and Luis Gil (right lat strain) slashed their depth.
So, too, did Schmidt’s bout with right rotator cuff tendinitis, which limited his workload and prompted a season-opening stint on the injured list to build stamina.
Essentially replacing Marcus Stroman (left knee inflammation) in the starting five, Schmidt made two sharp Minor League rehab appearances before Wednesday’s 73-pitch outing, in which he permitted four hits and two walks and struck out two.
“We lost some guys with Gerrit, who’s hard to replace, and then obviously Gil is coming back,” Schmidt said. “But I definitely have to step up. The whole rotation has to step up. I know that my job is to go out there and be as consistent as possible every five days, and give my team a chance to win.”
Salvador Perez had a run-scoring single in the first inning off Schmidt, who settled down until the fifth, when Kyle Isbel legged out an RBI triple and Jonathan India pushed across the game-tying run on a groundout.
The Yanks nicked left-hander Kris Bubic for three runs over 5 1/3 innings. Anthony Volpe ripped a two-run double in the third inning, and Bellinger connected for a run-scoring double in the fourth.
Including the postseason, the Yanks are 22-6 in their past 28 games against the Royals, dating to Aug. 11, 2021.
“We know how good they are,” Judge said. “Anytime you can take a series like that against a team you know you’re going to see down the road, that kind of helps you going into this road trip.”