Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees is currently enduring the longest homerless streak of his career, which has now reached 16 games. This streak was highlighted on Thursday night when the Yankees narrowly defeated the Boston Red Sox 2-1 in 10 innings.
Despite leading the league with 51 home runs and 126 RBIs, Judge went 1 for 4 in the game, with a single being his only hit. Since August 26, following a two-homer game against Colorado, Judge has struggled at the plate, batting just .207 (12 for 58) and striking out 21 times. His previous longest homerless streak was 15 games, which spanned from August 17 to September 2 in 2017.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone weighed in on Judge’s performance, noting, “Homers, even for someone like him, tend to come in bunches, and it’s not unusual to have these stretches. It’s impressive that he’s managed to avoid them for so long, but it speaks to his skill and power. I thought he had some solid at-bats tonight and nearly connected on one.”
During the game, Judge had a near miss in the first inning when his hit was caught by Wilyer Abreu at the right-field wall, and a 104.7 mph grounder in the fifth was turned into an inning-ending double play by third baseman Rafael Devers.
Judge had previously been on a hot streak, hitting nine home runs in just 10 games before this current stretch.
Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes commented on Judge’s ongoing performance, saying, “He’s still getting base hits and creating opportunities. The home runs will come; he’s a powerful hitter.” Cortes also reflected on Judge’s earlier struggles, noting, “Remember how he struggled a bit early in the season? He came back strong after that. Maybe he needs another spark to get going again.
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