Sep 13, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge (99) celebrates with third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) after hitting a grand slam home run during the seventh inning against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Aaron Judge hit a game-winning grand slam in the seventh inning to snap a career-high 16-game home run drought as the host New York Yankees rallied for a 5-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.
Judge hit his major league-leading 52nd homer when he lofted a 2-0 fastball from Cam Booser (2-3) into the left-field seats to give the Yankees a 5-4 lead. It was Judge’s first homer since he hit two on Aug. 25. He leads the major leagues with 130 RBIs.
Judge’s eighth career grand slam pushed the Yankees (86-62) to within three games of Baltimore atop the AL East after the Orioles lost 1-0 to the Detroit Tigers early Friday.
Before Judge homered, the Yankees pulled within 4-1 on Gleyber Torres’ hit off Zack Kelly, who started the inning by walking Anthony Volpe and Alex Verdugo.
New York reliever Luke Weaver struck out five in the final two innings for his second save.
Mark Leiter Jr. (4-5) allowed a two-run homer to Trevor Story that put the Yankees down 4-0 in the top of the seventh. He retired Rafael Devers to end the inning before New York rallied for its 11th win of the season when trailing after six innings.
Masataka Yoshida hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning off Clarke Schmidt to give the Red Sox a 2-0 lead, but Boston saw its road losing streak reach seven games.
Schmidt allowed two runs and five hits in his second game back from a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined for three months. The right-hander struck out five and walked one.
Boston rookie Richard Fitts was forced into his second career start when originally scheduled starter Tanner Houck was scratched because of right shoulder fatigue shortly before the first pitch.
Houck has not pitched since facing the New York Mets on Sept. 4.
After allowing two unearned runs in 5 2/3 innings in his major league debut Sunday against the Chicago White Sox, Fitts allowed two hits to Anthony Rizzo and two in five innings Friday. Fitts walked three and struck out two.
The Yankees drafted Fitts in 2021 before trading him and reliever Greg Weissert to Boston for Verdugo last December.
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