NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 53rd homer, and the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 5-2 on Sunday to open a three-game AL East lead over second-place Baltimore.
Judge, whose 132 RBIs also top the major leagues, homered twice in three games followed a career-high 16-game homerless streak and helped Carlos Rodón get his career-best 15th win.
New York (87-63) took three of four from the Red Sox and headed on the road for a seven-game trip to Seattle and Oakland on the verge of clinching a postseason berth after failing to reach the playoffs last year for the first time since 2016.
Tyler O’Neill hit a two-run homer for the Red Sox (75-75), who dropped 4 1/2 games behind Minnesota (79-70) for the final AL wild card spot.
Wearing No. 21 on Roberto Clemente Day, Judge hit a two-run shot in a three-run third off Kutter Crawford (8-15) on an 0-1 fastball. The 445-foot drive soared off the glass of the center-field restaurant that serve’s as the batter’s eye and fell onto the netting above Monument Park behind center field for a 4-0 lead.
After Boston manager Alex Cora admitted before the game Brayan Bello tried hitting Judge on purpose in the sixth inning Saturday on a pitch that was behind the slugger, Judge carried his bat about halfway down the line before dropping it as he approached first base.
“It’s a big homer,” Judge said. “We’re playing the Red Sox. This is a big rival, big games, big moment. So I’m just having some fun with the moment.”
Judge joined Babe Ruth (1921, 1927), Roger Maris (1961), Mickey Mantle (1961) as Yankees with at least 53 homers through New York’s first 150 games.
“It’s been an amazing season and you’re not going to keep him off the board long even though I guess it’s long by his standards,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “That ball he hit today that ball is cleaned out off the restaurant out there.”
“For him it’s pretty normal,” Rodón said. “Not many guys take that pitch out to center like that.”
Gleyber Torres also homered off Crawford, a drive into the short porch in right to start the third. According to Statcast, Torres’ drive would have been a homer only at Houston and Yankee Stadium.
“Whatever he can do right now, I’m glad to see it in person,” Torres said about Judge.
Giancarlo Stanton had an RBI single along with a sacrifice fly as the Yankees won for the seventh time in 10 games.
Rodón allowed two runs and six hits 5 1/3 innings, surpassing his 14 wins with San Francisco in 2022.
Five relievers combined for 3 2/3 scoreless innings. Clay Holmes stranded a runner in the eighth and Tommy Kahnle got a double play on Jarren Duran to finish his first save this season.
Kahnle became the eighth pitcher to get a save for the Yankees this year. He needed only four pitches to get Duran to bounce into his second double play of the game.
Crawford has allowed a major league-high 33 home runs. He gave up four runs and six hits in 4 1/3 innings and lost his sixth straight start.
Rafael Devers singled ahead of O’Neill’s homer in the fourth, went 1 for 3 and is homerless in 17 straight games.
“It’s getting tougher and tougher,” Cora said after his team went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position.
Second baseman Romy Gonzalez’s error led to Boston’s major league-high 91st unearned run.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: OF Rob Refsnyder (right wrist discomfort) missed his third straight game and is still experiencing soreness. … RHP Tanner Houck, who was scratched from Friday’s start because of shoulder fatigue and last pitched on Sept. 4, is scheduled to pitch Wednesday in Tampa Bay.
UP NEXT
Red Sox: Start a three-game series at Tampa Bay on Tuesday on Tuesday.
Yankees: RHP Luis Gil (13-6, 3.18 ERA) opposes Mariners RHP Bryan Wood (8-2, 2.38) in the opener of a three-game series on Tuesday night.
