Inside The Pinstripes

Aaron Judge Blasts Grand Slam For 30th Home Run of Season

Judge leads Major League Baseball in home runs this season.

Max Goodman

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Aaron Judge's 30th home run of the season was grand.

The Yankees slugger decimated a grand slam in the eighth inning against the Pirates on Wednesday night, a no-doubter to left field off ex-Yankees reliever Manny Bañuelos.

Judge's majestic blast soared 419 feet, leaving his bat at 114.7 mph.

Here's another look at the effortless swing from Judge, who leads the league in homers. Philadelphia's Kyle Schwarber is second with 27 on the season.

Leading up to Wednesday night in Pittsburgh, Judge was struggling. The outfielder was hitting .128/.227/.308 over his last 11 games, going 5-for-38 with two homers in that span. He didn't mess around against the Pirates, though. Judge broke through with a 3-for-4 night, his fifth game this year with at least three hits.

Even after that rough patch, Judge is batting .287/.366/.627 this season with 65 runs scored and 64 RBI, leading the way in the American League Most Valuable Player race at the midway point of the season.

Judge made some history with his 30th homer of the year as well, making this his third season with 30-plus home runs in his Yankees career. 

The 30-year-old is now the first player in Yankees history with two 30-home run seasons before the All-Star break, according to YES Network. Judge had 30 long balls before the All-Star Game in 2017, finishing that memorable season with 52 big flies. 

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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