Judge Blasts 25th Homer, Yankees Dominate Royals 10-1

Aaron Judge launched his major league-leading 25th home run, a towering 436-foot, two-run shot into the center-field fountain, propelling the New York Yankees to a commanding 10-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night. This win marks the Yankees' 11th triumph in their last 14 games.

Giancarlo Stanton followed Judge's lead in the seventh inning, hitting a 446-foot home run to center off reliever Nick Anderson, marking his 16th homer of the season. Austin Wells contributed a three-run homer during a four-run fourth inning against starter Brady Singer.

Returning to the lineup after his first rest day of the season, Judge, who hit his 21st home run in his last 41 games, also singled in the Yankees' first run. His batting average now stands at .309, and he's hitting .419 with 44 RBIs in his last 35 games, a stark improvement from his .197 average as of May 2.

“I try not to take what he’s doing for granted. It’s a lot of fun to witness on a nightly basis,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone remarked. “He’s got amazing physical talent and experience that’s really showing in his performance.”

Despite his impressive stats, Judge remains humble, not considering himself at the level of legends like Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols, and Miguel Cabrera. “I try not to look at the stats too much, even when I’m struggling. I focus on players like Juan Soto, who are hitting .330. I’m not there yet, but I’m working towards it,” Judge said.

The AL-leading Yankees (48-21) improved to 39-4 when both Judge and Stanton homer in the same game, including playoffs, and to 16-1 against the AL Central this season. They are now 27 games over .500, the best mark of the season.

Boone notched his 557th win, surpassing Billy Martin for seventh place among Yankees managers.

Marcus Stroman (6-2) pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing four hits and three walks, extending his unbeaten streak to six starts. Ron Marinaccio struck out Drew Waters with the bases loaded to end the sixth inning.

Juan Soto, who played right field for the Yankees, went 0 for 2 with two walks before exiting with the Yankees up 10-0 in the seventh. Soto, who missed the weekend series against the Los Angeles Dodgers due to forearm inflammation, was the designated hitter on Monday, going 1 for 3 with a walk.

Anthony Rizzo returned to the lineup after two days off but continued his slump, going 0 for 4. He is 1 for 33 in June, dropping his average to .221. “It’s a grind right now, but this is part of being a baseball player,” Rizzo said.

The Yankees started strong with Anthony Volpe leading off with his seventh triple of the season. Soto walked, and Judge drove in Volpe with a single. Alex Verdugo advanced the runners with a groundout, and Soto slid home on Stanton’s grounder, scoring ahead of Salvador Perez’s tag.

Brady Singer (4-3) allowed seven runs (six earned) and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. “I wish I had made better pitches,” he lamented.

Kansas City has lost 10 of their last 15 games following an eight-game winning streak. “Every team goes through rough patches,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “We’ll keep grinding.”

Freddy Fermin hit a solo homer off Marinaccio in the eighth. Nick Pratto, primarily a first baseman/outfielder, made his pitching debut, allowing one hit in the ninth.

Injury Updates:

Royals: No update on OF Hunter Renfroe, who fractured his left big toe in the series opener. Renfroe was placed on the 10-day IL, and INF Adam Frazier was placed on the bereavement list. The Royals recalled Pratto and Waters from Triple-A Omaha.

Yankees: OF Jasson Domínguez (Tommy John surgery) went 1 for 5 with an RBI single for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, batting .440 with two homers and three RBIs in six games with the RailRiders.

Upcoming Matchups:

Yankees: RHP Cody Poteet (2-0, 1.72 ERA) starts Wednesday. Royals: RHP Dan Altavilla (0-0, 0.00 ERA) takes the mound.