Judge's monster May proving 'that's why he's the captain'

ANAHEIM -- Even while Aaron Judge was in the thick of his early-season struggles, the Yankees' captain expressed confidence that he¡¯d soon emerge on the other side, believing that it would prove to be ¡°just one of those months¡± where nothing seemed to go his way.

He was right. With one day remaining in his May to remember, Judge claimed a share of the Major League lead with his 18th home run while equaling Lou Gehrig for a historic achievement as the Yankees defeated the Angels, 8-3, on Thursday evening at Angel Stadium.

¡°There¡¯s still a lot of work to do,¡± Judge said. ¡°Like I¡¯ve been saying, it doesn¡¯t matter how you start. You¡¯re always going to have good months, bad months. You just try to stay consistent and it¡¯s all going to work itself out. It¡¯s been a good month with a lot of wins, so I¡¯m happy about that. We¡¯ll keep it rolling in June.¡±

Juan Soto added a three-run triple as part of a five-run seventh inning, joining the outburst on a night in which Judge clubbed his 275th career home run, a two-run shot in the fourth inning off Halos starter Patrick Sandoval.

¡°He¡¯s just a special player doing special things,¡± said manager Aaron Boone. ¡°I kind of felt like we needed a shot of energy. Judgie¡¯s homer got the boys going a little bit.¡±

The blast pulled Judge even with the Orioles¡¯ Gunnar Henderson and the Astros¡¯ Kyle Tucker atop this year¡¯s homer leaderboard, while also tying Judge with Jorge Posada (275) for eighth place on the Yankees¡¯ all-time home run list.

Gehrig had previously been the only Yankee to collect 12 doubles and 12 homers in a calendar month, having done so in July 1930. Judge¡¯s 24 extra-base hits in May are also the most by a Yankee since Joe DiMaggio had 31 in July 1937.

¡°He¡¯s pretty good, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± said left-hander Carlos Rodón. ¡°I mean, that¡¯s why he¡¯s the captain.¡±

¡°He¡¯s the best hitter in the game for a reason,¡± added catcher Jose Trevino.

Soto¡¯s big knock bounced down the right-field line off Jos¨¦ Suarez after Oswaldo Cabrera and Anthony Volpe worked bases-loaded walks off reliever Adam Cimber, who struggled to find the strike zone while issuing four free passes in one-third of an inning.

New York¡¯s 14th series victory in 18 tries (14-2-2) came on an evening that saw two notable streaks snapped. Volpe went hitless in four at-bats, ending his hitting streak at 21 -- the Yanks¡¯ longest since Robinson Can¨® hit safely in 23 straight games in 2012.

¡°What a run it¡¯s been for him,¡± Boone said. ¡°He had one of the biggest at-bats of the night in that inning where we were able to score a big number. You¡¯re not chasing a hit, you¡¯re chasing a good at-bat. To get over 20 games, especially now, is pretty impressive.¡±

Volpe¡¯s streak tied the Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte (21) for the longest in the Majors this season. Since May 7, Volpe has batted .326/.369/.526 (31-for-95) with four doubles, three triples, three homers and 11 RBIs.

¡°He¡¯s using the whole field. That¡¯s one thing that jumps off the chart,¡± Judge said. ¡°That¡¯s what I saw in all the videos when he was going through the Minor Leagues; gap-to-gap and a little pop to the pull side, opposite field.

¡°We¡¯re finally starting to see that this year. It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s two strikes or the first pitch of the game. He¡¯s driving the ball up the middle, driving it to the right side, doing it with guys on base. He starts the party for us at the top.¡±

The Bombers¡¯ streak of 16 consecutive starts spanning five innings or more while permitting two or fewer runs -- the longest in the Majors since at least 1893 -- also ended, despite Rod¨®n holding the Angels to Logan O¡¯Hoppe¡¯s solo home run through six strong frames.

Rod¨®n set down 14 straight after O¡¯Hoppe¡¯s homer, but after his team batted around in the top of the seventh, Rod¨®n couldn¡¯t retire the three men he faced in the home half, including a run-scoring double by Kevin Pillar. Willie Calhoun punched in the Angels¡¯ third run with a pinch-hit single off Caleb Ferguson, a run charged to Rod¨®n.

¡°The pitching staff, hats off to them,¡± Judge said. ¡°Now it¡¯s time to start another streak. They¡¯re the best in the game right now. The news about Clarke [Schmidt¡¯s injury] definitely hurts, but I know guys will definitely pick up the slack and keep it rolling.¡±