Aaron Judge Snaps 11-Game Home Run Drought With Walk-off Blast Against Rays

Aaron Judge's walk-off home run against the Rays guided the Yankees to their 1st win over their division rivals this year and ended a 3-game losing run.

Aaron Judge Snaps 11-Game Home Run Drought With Walk-off Blast Against Rays

Aaron Judge (Image via Imago)

After 11 long games, Aaron Judge finally got a big break. The New York Yankees captain slammed a 2-run walk-off home run to snap an 11-game home run drought and guided his team to a 2-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Yankees, who had a hot start to the season, had stumbled once again. Following 2 wins against the Toronto Blue Jays, they dropped the next 2 games against them and earned a series split.

Friday saw the Yankees suffer a 4-2 loss against the Rays in the series opener. This marked a 3rd straight loss for the Bronx Bombers and saw them fall 30-22 for the season.

Judge was one of them who was in the slump. The reigning American League MVP entered the game on Sunday while being 4-for-35. He had not registered a single hit in his 15 previous plate appearances.

In the first inning, he broke this hitless streak with a single. On a rainy day in New York, the Yankees star finally reached first base through a hit.

Before the game, Yankees manager Aaron Boone claimed that “somebody will pay the price real soon” regarding Judge’s slump. It was Rays’ relief pitcher Kevin Kelly who turned out to be this person as he gave up the walk-off shot to Judge.

Kelly’s 92 mph sinker was sent to right field by Judge. The slugger smashed a 363-foot drive into the stands to give the Yankees their 3rd walk-off win of the year.

This also marked the Yankees’ first win of the year against the Rays. Earlier in April, the Rays recorded a historic 3-game sweep of their division rivals. That sweep had condemned the Yanks to their 6th straight defeat.

The two teams will face each other again in June for a 4-game series at Tropicana Field. After that, they will lock horns in another 4-game set at Yankee Stadium in September.

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Aaron Judge makes unique Yankees history with walk-off shot against Rays

Aaron Judge broke a long home run drought with his walk-off shot against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. With this home run, he made a unique New York Yankees history.

Aaron Judge
Aaron Judge (Image via MLB)

This home run was Judge’s 4th walk-off home run for the Yankees. In the huge history of the team, he is the first player to hit 2 walk-off home runs with the scores tied at 0-0. The last time he did this was on July 28th, 2022, when he smashed a solo walk-off home run against the Kansas City Royals.

Judge has often been criticized regarding his plays in clutch situations. This time, he came through for the team with a big walk-off home run that sealed a 2-0 victory and snapped a 3-game losing run.

Following the game, the fans at Yankee Stadium roared in joy for their captain. While speaking with YES Network’s Meredith Marakovits, he thanked the fans for staying back during the rainy weather.

Man, what a roar. I appreciate y’all staying. I know there’s some bad weather.

Aaron Judge said

For the season, Judge is now batting with a .250 average. With 17 home runs, he is tied with Munetaka Murakami for the most in the American League.

Speaking of the Yankees, they will embark on a 6-game road trip and face the Royals and the Athletics. After that, they will return to the Bronx to host the Cleveland Guardians.

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