Friday 16th May 2025

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Aaron Judge became the first big leaguer with 40 homers this season, smashed a grand slam for No. 41 and robbed a home run in right field as New York rallied to beat the Kansas City Royals 11-5 Friday night.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa lined a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning as New York completed its major league-leading 29th comeback victory.

A free agent at the end of the season, Judge is on pace for 66 home runs, which would top Roger Maris’ club record of 61 in 1961. Judge, Maris and Babe Ruth in 1928 are the only Yankees with at least 40 homers by the end of July.

Judge also had a single and finished with six RBIs, giving him a major league-leading 89.

Judge and Anthony Rizzo homered early on a rainy night in the Bronx, but Kansas City came back against Gerrit Cole, with Whit Merrifield’s two-run single in the fifth ending a scoreless drought of 31 2/3 innings for the Royals.

Salvador Perez followed Merrifield with a go-ahead, three-run homer in his return from the injured list for a 5-3 lead.

UP NEXT
Yankees LHP Nestor Cortes (8-3, 2.48ERA) makes his second start Saturdaysince pitching in the All-Star Game. He’ll face Royals veteran RHP Zack Greinke (3-6, 4.35), who could be traded before Tuesday’s deadline. New York will celebrate its annual Old-Timers’ Day prior to the game, although the usual exhibition game of retired Yankees was called off because too many former players are recovering from surgeries.

Pregame begins at 12:30, with game time at 1:05. You can hear the broadcast from the Royals’ Radio Network on KMMO AM 1300.