KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Aaron Judge only watched his latest prodigious homer long enough to make sure it was out of Kauffman Stadium.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone? He made sure to find the best possible vantage point to see it land.
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That ended up being 469 feet away from the plate, right on top of the Royals Hall of Fame in left field. It was the third-longest homer in the majors this season, and the two-run shot propelled New York to a 10-2 win over Kansas City on Tuesday night.
“I made sure to jump up and get a good spot where I could really watch it,” Boone said afterward, flashing a smile. “I mean, I was under control. Poised. I was in a good spot to really watch it. That was evaporated.”
The home run off the Royals' Noah Cameron had an exit velocity of 117.9 mph, tying it for the third-hardest hit home run in the majors this season. The Angels' Mike Trout hit the longest homer so far, a 484-foot shot against the Giants on April 19, while his teammate Logan O'Hoppe hit one 470 against A's on May 27.
Judge hit one 468 feet against the Brewers on March 29, and 12 times in his career has a homer traveled at least 465.
“Just glad to get the two runs,” Judge said, when asked whether he took a moment to marvel at his latest long ball. “There's no time. It's on to the next. You do something, you enjoy it for a moment and then you're on to the next.”
That approach seems to be working well for the two-time MVP, who also had a bloop single in the sixth inning to mark his 50th game out of 65 in which he's reached base multiple times. The only other players in the modern era to accomplish that feat also were Yankees: Babe Ruth in 1923, ‘24 and ’27, and Lou Gehrig in 1936.
As for the homers, Judge has hit 24 of them this season. Half of those have given New York the lead in a game.
“I mean, he just keeps impressing. Being able to watch him every day is a treat,” said Max Fried, who allowed two runs on six hits over seven innings Tuesday night. “Then when you see him day in and day out and get to know him, it's not surprising at all.”
Judge wound up 2 for 5 against the Royals, keeping his average at a league-best .396 — 30 points higher than second-place Jacob Wilson of the A's. He also leads the league in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, hits and total bases.
“If he keeps ascending from here, I won't be surprised,” Boone said. "The most amazing part of it is I feel like he's just playing well. I don't feel like he's been on fire at any point. That's what is amazing about it. He's out there playing well. Getting his hits, doing his thing. But in a lot of ways, I'm honestly waiting for him to catch fire. That's when it gets really scary.
“He's playing in a different league,” Boone added with another smile. “He needs to get called up.”
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB