Aaron Judge silences critics with first 2026 home run after slow start
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Aaron Judge believes the New York Yankees went a little bit overboard in their preparation for baseball's new Automated Ball-Strike System.
Manager Aaron Boone admits he is a little "anal" about it all.
"We had too many meetings about it in my opinion," said Judge, the two-time reigning AL MVP who grounded out in this first at-bat Saturday.
Yet Judge's timely, spot-on challenge during the sixth inning of a 3-0 victory Friday night against San Francisco certainly paid off. He homered for the first time this season five pitches later with a two-run, 405-foot drive to left field after an 0-for-7 start to 2026 that included going 0 for 5 with four strikeouts Wednesday - the first hitless opening day of his career.
