NEW YORK — On an afternoon that opened with several Old-Timers expressing admiration for Aaron Judge’s special season, the superstar slugger again showed that he’s very much in his prime, belting his Major League-leading 42nd home run in the Yankees’ 8-2 victory over the Royals on Saturday at Yankee Stadium.
Judge cracked a two-run shot, his fourth long ball in the last three games, as the Yanks rolled to a convincing win on Old-Timers’ Day in the Bronx. Judge is the first Yankee to hit 42 home runs before Aug. 1, breaking a tie with Babe Ruth, who hit 41 in 1928.
Also of significance: Judge’s second-inning blast off right-hander Jonathan Heasley was the 200th homer of his career, coming in his 671st career game — only Ryan Howard (658 games) reached the milestone quicker.
Matt Carpenter also hit his 15th home run of the season as the Yankees took advantage of a sloppy three-error Kansas City performance, supporting five solid innings from left-hander Nestor Cortes, who held the Royals to two runs and five hits. Cortes walked two and struck out five, improving to 3-0 with a 2.60 ERA over his last five starts.
The likely frontrunner for the American League’s Most Valuable Player Award, Judge’s performance and his upcoming contract were a hot topic for the former stars who assembled in Monument Park about two hours before first pitch, marking the 12th Old-Timers’ Day at the current Yankee Stadium and the first since 2019.
“Every time I see him talking on TV, he just says the right things all the time,” former All-Star outfielder Bernie Williams said. “He’s a good ambassador for the team. I think if he signs a long-term deal, he’s probably in line to [be] the next captain. There’s no doubt about that in my mind. And maybe one day, even out here [in Monument Park].”