ARLINGTON – You wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at the box score, but Ben Rice did claim a piece of the Yankees’ team home run lead on Monday evening. Aaron Judge made sure it lasted for only about two minutes.
Rice and Judge went back to back in the third inning with their 10th and 11th home runs of the season, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. also went deep to continue his hot streak as the Yankees defeated the Rangers, 4-2, at Globe Life Field.
The blasts earned Rice and Judge recognition as just the second pair of Yankees teammates to hit 10 or more homers in the club’s first 29 games of a season, a feat previously achieved only by Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle (1956).
With their 10th win in 12 games, the Yankees (19-10) built upon the American League’s best record, providing more than enough support for Max Fried. The left-hander hurled six scoreless innings in another gem, picking up his fourth victory in seven starts.
Fried carried over the adjustment he made during his last start against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, when he abandoned his full windup and pitched exclusively from the stretch after early command issues.
All three Yankees homers were hit off Jack Leiter, who surrendered four runs on eight hits and one walk over six innings. Leiter’s father, Al, was in attendance for the start.
Judge’s homer was the 379th of his career, tying Orlando Cepeda and Tony Perez for 75th all time. The captain has hit safely in 16 of 18 games.