On Tuesday night, the Yankees became the fourth team to hit at least nine home runs in a single game, and they're now the first team to have ever done it twice in one season.
TAMPA, Fla. – A superb, late night Yankees’ power show stood a real slugger’s chance of becoming ultra historic.
Having belted his 40th of the year during another back-to-back-to-back Yankee home run spree, Aaron Judge strolled up in Tuesday’s ninth against Rays’ lefty Mason Montgomery.
With the Yanks one shy of matching the single game MLB team record of 10 homers, Judge lined out to end the inning – a scorching 112.8-mph bullet to left.
Feeling right at home at Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees settled for a franchise record-tying nine home runs in a 13-3 win, putting them alone atop the AL wild card standings.
“We hit nine?’’ manager Aaron Boone asked with some genuine surprise, after his club – winners of six of their last seven games – matched a franchise record set earlier this year. "Wow.''
After a first pitch delayed nearly two hours due to rain and a severe weather threat, the Yankees became the first team with multiple games of at least nine homers in one season.
Cody Bellinger, Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Caballero each collected two homers Tuesday, while Judge, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Ben Rice clubbed on apiece.
How close were the Yankees to MLB's record for homers in a game by one team?
“I didn’t know it was 10,’’ Bellinger said of the 1987 Toronto Blue Jays’ single game, MLB team homer mark, but he recalled the Yanks’ previous nine-homer game had made franchise history.
After all, Bellinger was part of it, and Judge had a three-homer day on March 29, against the Milwaukee Brewers, when the Yanks opened with three straight homers at the Stadium off old pal Nestor Cortes.
They hit three straight first inning homers on April 29 at Baltimore, and they repeated that first inning magic again Tuesday night against Rays’ righty Shane Baz.
With one out, Judge launched No. 40 an estimated 429 feet to center, and Bellinger and Stanton followed to make it a fast, 3-0 lead.
"Great swings right out of the gate,'' said Boone, with Stanton lining an 0-2, 98-mph fastball over the right-center field wall. "In their own kind of way, three really statement at-bats.''
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Yankees hit nine home runs, tying a franchise record in romp over Rays
Category: Baseball
