Judge's belated birthday blast fuels Yanks to doubleheader sweep
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NEW YORK -- Happy Birthday, Aaron Judge!
OK, so we are a day late, but it wasn¡¯t a dollar short for the Yankees during the second game of a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. His solo homer in the sixth inning helped New York defeat the Blue Jays, 5-1, and sweep the doubleheader.
In the first game, New York made it a grind for right-hander Kevin Gausman in an 11-2 victory.
Judge turned 33 on Saturday, but he didn¡¯t play that day because the game was called because of inclement weather. But it turned out to be a great Sunday for him, as he went 3-for-8 in the twin bill and extended his on-base streak to 24 games, dating back to April 2.
With the score tied at 1 and Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt on the mound, Judge swung at the first pitch and hit the ball over the right-field wall to give New York a one-run lead. It was Judge¡¯s eighth homer of the year and his first since April 16 against the Royals. He may have been homerless for a week -- big deal -- but he is still hitting .406 for the season.
¡°He¡¯s amazing. He is just so good at not leaving the strike zone,¡± manager Aaron Boone said. ¡°So if you keep making pitches against him, you have a chance. But he is so strong. People have to be aware how dangerous he is [with his power]. You have to be perfect. When you are not, obviously, he can hurt you. He is really doing a good job using the entire field, kind of spraying the ball around right now.¡±
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One teammate enjoying The Judge Show is catcher J.C. Escarra, who had the best game of his career. He went 2-for-4 and hit his first Major League home run in the eighth inning off reliever Chad Green. To say that Escarra was a happy man is an understatement. Just two years ago, he was a five-star Uber driver and a substitute teacher. Like his first Major League hit, the home run ball will go to his father, who grew up a Yankees fan.
¡°I didn¡¯t feel the ball off the bat,¡± Escarra said about the home run. ¡°It was the first MLB home run. I did it here at home at Yankee Stadium. ¡ It¡¯s very special. This is my family¡¯s team. It¡¯s a dream come true. I¡¯m doing everything as a Yankee. It can¡¯t get better than this.¡±
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For Escarra, it¡¯s fun watching Judge up close and personal.
¡°He is amazing. Such a special human being on and off the field. Very talented. You look up and he already has two hits and a walk,¡± Escarra said. ¡°It¡¯s special for him to be my teammate and learn from him every day.¡±
What¡¯s the biggest thing Escarra learned from Judge?
¡°Just be the same guy everyday,¡± Escarra said. ¡°Don¡¯t be too high and not be too low. In this game, we have highs and lows, but we have to stay even keel and be the best version of ourselves.¡±
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Right-hander Clarke Schmidt and four relievers, including new closer Luke Weaver, combined to allow one run on three hits and struck out 12 batters.