NEW YORK — Aaron Judge became the first New York Yankees player to hit three home runs in a game twice in one season when he connected in the seventh inning Friday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Judge hit a three-run homer in the third and a two-run shot in the fifth off rookie starter Brandon Pfaadt. The slugger added his third homer of the night by reaching the second deck in right field with a solo drive off Slade Cecconi.
After rounding the bases, the reigning AL MVP took a curtain call from the Yankee Stadium crowd as teammate Gleyber Torres stepped out of the batter’s box.
Judge also doubled during his second career three-homer game — both coming within the past month. He also went deep three times Aug. 23 at home against Washington to help the Yankees stop their first nine-game losing streak since 1982.
Judge has now recorded 33 career multi-home run games, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. The only player with more in their first eight seasons is Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner (39).
Judge’s first homer gave New York a 3-0 lead. Two batters after Pfaadt committed an error by misplaying Oswald Peraza’s soft comebacker, Judge lifted a first-pitch sinker into the Yankees’ bullpen in right-center.
His two-run drive to right-center in the fifth made it 6-0.
Judge is hitting .267 with 35 homers and 70 RBI in 100 games this season. He missed nearly eight weeks after spraining his right big toe on June 3 at Dodger Stadium. He returned to the lineup July 28.
The five-time All-Star hit 62 home runs last season, breaking the previous American League record of 61 set by former Yankees slugger Roger Maris in 1961.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.