Share and Follow
As the chances of Aaron Judge and Mike Trout facing off in October seem increasingly slim, their showdown in April offered a thrilling substitute.
In a high-scoring contest at The Bronx on Monday, the Yankees edged out the Angels with an 11-10 victory. Both reigning American League MVPs showcased their prowess by hitting two home runs each, with Judge ultimately securing the upper hand.
“That aspect of the game certainly lived up to expectations,” remarked Yankees manager Aaron Boone, referring to the electrifying duel between the two power hitters.
Judge set the tone early, launching a two-run homer off left-hander Yusei Kikuchi in the bottom of the first inning. The ball traveled an impressive 456 feet into the left-center bleachers.
Trout responded in the sixth inning with a game-tying three-run homer off Jake Bird. However, Judge reclaimed the lead for the Yankees with a decisive solo home run in the bottom half of the same inning.
Trout, not to be outdone, homered again in the eighth, this time off Camilo Doval to tie the game again before the Yankees won it on a wild pitch by Jordan Romano with Ryan McMahon on the plate — and Judge on deck.
“He’s the greatest of all time,” Judge said of Trout. “Coming up at such a young age, he’s special. He’s had to battle injuries, but he’s in a better spot now.”
For Trout, it was a somewhat rare moment in the spotlight, as he typically toils in anonymity for the also-ran Angels.
“It was definitely one of the better games,” Trout said. “It was fun to be a part of, [but] the loss is disappointing. … To throw blows like that, both teams, pretty cool.”
As usual, Judge came out on top — and made more history in the process, as the Yankees snapped a five-game losing streak.
It was his sixth homer of the young season, but it also put Judge in the franchise record books again.
The multihomer game was Judge’s 47th of his career, passing Mickey Mantle and leaving him behind only Babe Ruth, who had 68 with the Yankees, as well as the most in MLB history with 72.
“That’s special,’’ Judge said of passing Mantle. “I’m glad it came in a win. Hopefully, we can keep going.”
He’s had more multihomer games than any player with his amount of time in the majors — 1,161 games. Ralph Kiner is next with 39.
And of his six homers on the season, four have given the Yankees the lead.
The night was another encouraging game for Judge, who homered in his last at-bat against the Rays in Sunday’s loss.
On Monday, the Yankees needed every bit of offense they could get.
Boone called Judge’s game “huge.”
The manager added, “Hopefully, we start to see him lock in here as we get rolling. I don’t have to tell you what he means to the offense.”
Certainly not this year, as the Yankees seemingly can’t afford any drop-off from Judge with worries in the bullpen and all over the infield, where Jazz Chisholm Jr., McMahon and José Caballero have all disappointed in multiple facets of the game.
And the pen nearly robbed the Yankees of a much-needed win, with Bird optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after the game.