Judge's no-doubter sparks Yanks (6-1) to one of best starts in franchise history
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NEW YORK -- Aaron Judge said he expected the fans to be loud for Friday’s home opener in the Bronx. Just to be certain, the Yankees' captain wasted no time providing them with something to cheer about.
Judge homered in his first Yankee Stadium at-bat of the year, part of a three-RBI performance that led the offensive charge in an 8-2 victory over the Marlins.
Ben Rice also lined a seventh-inning homer, fueling one of the best seven-game starts to a season in franchise history. Only the 1933 Yanks (7-0) fared better than this group; the 2024 pennant-winners were the most recent Bombers squad to win six of their first seven contests.
Will Warren became the latest Yankees starter to permit two runs or fewer, holding Miami to a pair of solo homers over 5 2/3 innings, striking out six without issuing a walk. Xavier Edwards connected in the first inning and Owen Caissie went deep in the fifth.
Judge’s first-inning homer came on a 1-1 slider from right-hander Eury Pérez, traveling a Statcast-projected 387 feet, coming off Judge’s bat at 101.2 mph.
Three of Judge’s first four hits of the season have been home runs.
Pérez was erratic, walking six over four innings. He also hit Judge in the right forearm with the bases loaded in the second inning, forcing home a run.