Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer in the first inning, immediately after Oakland’s starting pitcher, Joe Boyle, was called for a balk on the previous pitch, to lead the New York Yankees to a 7-3 victory over the Athletics on Wednesday night.
Anthony Rizzo and Juan Soto each blasted home runs as the Yankees won five of their past seven games. They maintained their domination at home against Oakland, going 10-1 in their past 11 games in the Bronx.
This was the first time this season that Judge, Rizzo, and Soto all had home runs in the same game. Judge felt he had struck out, but the umpire ruled a balk on Boyle, giving him another opportunity.
Judge took advantage of the chance, hitting a fastball into the short porch in right field, his 261st career home run and overtaking Derek Jeter for seventh on the Yankees’ all-time home run record.
“It’s an umpire judgment call,” Oakland manager Mark Kotsay said. “You don’t see that called that often, and that moment it gives Judge another pitch and he capitalizes on it.”
Following his home run, Judge singled in the third inning, demonstrating signs of improvement in his batting performance.
Meanwhile, Anthony Volpe made a leaping grab in the first inning and contributed offensively with an RBI triple in the fourth, demonstrating his versatility on both sides of the field.
