'Special': Judge slugs 362nd HR to pass DiMaggio

BOSTON -- Aaron Judge continued solidifying his spot among the Yankees' greats connected Friday, cracking his 362nd vocation location tally to interruption a necktie with Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio and instrumentality sole possession of 4th spot connected the franchise's all-time location tally database successful the team's 4-1 win implicit the Red Sox astatine Fenway Park.

Judge reached 362 homers successful his 1,130th game. DiMaggio played 1,736 games and deed his past homer connected Sept. 28, 1951, astatine the extremity of a 13-year vocation that was interrupted for 3 seasons due to the fact that helium served successful World War II. Babe Ruth (659 location runs), Mickey Mantle (536) and Lou Gehrig (493) are the lone players to ever to deed much location runs than Judge arsenic a Yankee.

"It's special," Judge said. "But each those guys successful beforehand of maine and connected those lists, they weren't playing for records -- they were playing to win. So I'm conscionable trying to travel successful their footsteps. I'm present to triumph and I'm trying to assistance enactment this squad successful the champion presumption each azygous night."

Judge rapidly helped connected Friday. A time aft helium tied DiMaggio astatine Yankee Stadium, Judge crushed the 2nd transportation helium saw from Lucas Giolito 468 feet implicit the Green Monster and onto Landsdowne Street to springiness the Yankees a 1-0 pb 2 batters into the game.

The homer was Judge's 47th of the play and the 19th he's deed successful the archetypal inning, breaking the all-time grounds Alex Rodriguez archetypal acceptable successful 2001 and Judge tied past season. The two-time AL MVP -- and odds-on favourite to triumph the grant for the 3rd clip successful 4 years -- has swatted 4 location runs successful 4 games aft going six games without one.

"I consciousness similar he's getting connected clip good," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "He's finishing his determination truthful he's getting into truly beardown hitting position...And I consciousness similar he's gotten a batch of Aaron Judge-type swings off. Really controlling the onslaught portion portion doing it. So, yeah, helium looks bully to me. These past respective days, I consciousness similar he's truly commencement to get locked in."

Judge was the Yankees' designated hitter connected Friday arsenic the Yankees continued to cautiously rotate him betwixt the outfield and DH to debar aggravating the flexor strain successful his close arm. It was his 30th commencement astatine DH since coming disconnected the injured database connected Aug. 5.

"It's a small different," Judge said. "But I'm getting my laps underneath the stadium, going backmost and distant to the cage, moving successful the cage, moving backmost and distant to the value room. So I've talked to rather a fewer guys that person DH'd a small spot and benignant of their routine, what works for them. Kinda prime and take immoderate things that enactment and benignant of marque your ain routine."

Judge made his instrumentality to close tract past week aft being constricted to DH for a period upon being activated from the injured database and has made 4 starts successful close field. Boone acknowledged that the nine is considering having Judge play near tract against the Red Sox either Saturday oregon Sunday due to the fact that close tract astatine Fenway Park is importantly larger than near tract and that could necessitate Judge to marque longer, riskier throws.