Aaron Judge homers twice after meeting with Donald Trump as Yankees beat Tigers 9-3
Judge’s two homers on Sept. 11 moved him to 46 for the season and tied Joe DiMaggio on the Yankees’ career list
Aaron Judge hit two home runs and drove in one of New York’s nine runs in a 9-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday at Yankee Stadium, delivering the big blows after a pregame locker-room meeting with former President Donald Trump.
Judge homered in his first two at-bats for his 45th and 46th homers of the season, with the second long ball tying him with Joe DiMaggio for fourth on the Yankees’ career home run list at 361. He finished 3-for-4 with a run scored; he was hit by the first pitch of his third plate appearance, singled in the fifth inning and struck out looking in the seventh.
Trump visited the Yankees’ clubhouse on the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks and spoke briefly with Judge, calling him a “fantastic player” and joking about his size. "If you have that much muscle, you have to hit the ball further," Trump said, and added that he wished Judge were “a little bigger.” Trump received a warm welcome from fans at Yankee Stadium, where “USA” chants were heard.
Judge’s night added further weight to his MVP candidacy. He now has 100 RBIs on the season and sits four home runs shy of a 50-homer campaign, a total that would mark the fourth 50-homer season of his career. Seattle’s Cal Raleigh leads Major League Baseball with 53 home runs but carries a .241 batting average and an on-base plus slugging figure roughly 200 points lower than Judge’s.
If Judge secures the MVP award this season, he would be the first Yankee to win consecutive MVPs since Roger Maris in 1960-61 and the first to claim three MVPs in four years since Joe DiMaggio won from 1939 to 1942.
Yankees manager and teammates credited the offense and pitching for the win. The victory extended New York’s push late in the regular season as the club pursues postseason positioning.
The game marked one of several high-profile moments at Yankee Stadium on a day of remembrance for the nation. Manager comments and postgame remarks from players were focused on the on-field performance and the team’s standing as the regular season nears its conclusion.