Major League Baseball

Aaron Judge smashes 442-foot HR in 2nd game back as Yankees top O's

Updated Jul. 29, 2023 11:08 p.m. ET

Aaron Judge homered and singled twice in his second game back from the injured list and the New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-3 on Saturday night.

Giancarlo Stanton and Kyle Higashioka also went deep for the Yankees, who knocked out struggling Orioles starter Tyler Wells (7-6) in the third inning. In the sixth, Isiah Kiner-Falefa capped a 10-pitch at-bat with a three-run double to make it 8-3.

Judge has three walks and three hits in nine plate appearances since returning Friday from the toe injury that kept him out since early June.

Ryan Mountcastle homered for the Orioles, but Clarke Schmidt (7-6) made it through five tough innings and the New York bullpen took it from there.

The Orioles remained 1 1/2 games ahead of Tampa Bay atop the AL East. The Yankees are 3 1/2 behind Toronto and Houston for the final two wild cards in the American League.

Judge walked three times Friday night, but the Yankees lost that game 1-0 on a ninth-inning homer by Baltimore's Anthony Santander. New York's offense was relentless a night later.

Stanton's first-inning drive easily cleared the big wall in left field at Camden Yards. Mountcastle tied it in the second, and Baltimore went ahead 2-1 on an RBI infield single by Ramón Urías. That lead was short-lived.

Judge hit a two-run shot — 442 feet to center field — in the third. Then Gleyber Torres added a sacrifice fly an inning later.

Santander made it 4-3 with an RBI groundout in the fifth, but New York broke the game open in the sixth. Cole Irvin allowed a leadoff homer by Higashioka — his third hit of the night — and then one-out singles to Judge, Stanton and Anthony Rizzo.

Bryan Baker came in and struck out DJ LeMahieu, but after fouling off five pitches, Kiner-Falefa cleared the bases with a line drive to left.

Wells entered the game with a major league-leading WHIP of 0.99, but he allowed three runs, three hits and three walks in 2 2/3 innings. In three starts since the All-Star break, he's lasted just nine innings total.

DIFFERENT ORDER

The Orioles used catcher Adley Rutschman in the leadoff spot because of his ability to get on base. He was hit by a pitch, walked and scored a run.

UP NEXT

New York's Luis Severino (2-4) starts Sunday night against Baltimore's Dean Kremer (10-4). It's the final game of the season series, which is tied 6-all.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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