Judge ends – Aaron Judge ended an 11-game home run drought with a walk-off homer off a Kevin Kelly pitch, lifting the Yankees to a 2-0 win over the Rays in a rain-soaked Bronx game. The blast capped a scoreless grind, followed a basepath miscue, and came amid New York’s dr
NEW YORK — Aaron Judge bounded around third base in the mist, eyes flicking toward home plate as the Yankees waited for the final confirmation that it was really over.
It was. On a rain-soaked Sunday in the Bronx, Judge delivered the only scoring punch the Yankees would need: the fourth walk-off homer of his career. The shot came off a Kevin Kelly sinker, clearing the wall in right-center field and sealing a 2-0 victory over the Rays.
For 11 games, Judge had gone without a home run. He had also been stranded, with 11 games without so much as an RBI. Boone had insisted it was only a matter of time, saying, “Somebody will pay the price real soon.”
He didn’t have to wait long.
“It’s a special moment,” Judge said. “The guys know how much of a grind this season is. I know how much they were grinding all game today; a lot of great at-bats up and down that lineup. I liked what I was seeing all game long, so I think a lot of guys were just really able to pull that one out.”
The home run also fit the moment for more than just the scoreboard. Statcast projected the drive at 363 feet, and it gave New York its third walk-off win of the season. More importantly. it delivered New York’s first win over Tampa Bay and wrapped an underwhelming homestand that Aaron Boone had called “crappy.”.
Judge didn’t just stumble into the breakthrough. He entered Sunday in a 4-for-35 slide, and he tied the problem to swinging at better pitches. His chase rate entering the game—25.9%—was the three-time American League MVP’s highest since his rookie season of 2016 (31.5%). Even so, the Yankees kept operating with the same belief: Judge’s next swing can change the story.
“It really always feels like a matter of time,” said Cody Bellinger, who made a key outfield play in the eighth to preserve the scoreless tie. “This game is so difficult, and he’s literally one of the best hitters of all time. It was just a short little period, but he’s always trying and working.”
By the time the walk-off landed, the day had already been a long grind—one that tested more than just Judge’s swing.
In the first at-bat, Judge lined a single to left, then was erased after a rare miscue on the basepaths. Ben Rice’s liner to right-center doubled Judge off first base.
“Usually, any time Ben Rice hits one in the gap, it’s going to go a long way,” Judge said. “I’ve got to keep my head on a swivel. I was thinking it was going to be in the gap.”
Later, Judge also did the kind of work that doesn’t show up in official batting lines. In the eighth inning. he dropped to the turf in right field to complete a lunging grab of a Jonathan Aranda fly ball. Teammates Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Trent Grisham ribbed him afterward that it was “more of a dive than a fall.”.
“Just trying to make a play and do what I can out there,” Judge said.
The Yankees’ defense held firm at the exact moments the game demanded it.
Bellinger had the play that mattered most. In the eighth. he fired on Ryan Vilade’s single to left field. throwing a one-hop ball to third base that cut down Junior Caminero. Third baseman Ryan McMahon slapped a tag on the sliding Caminero before pinch-runner Oliver Dunn reached home plate. as confirmed by replay—keeping the score at 0 until Judge’s walk-off.
“That was all Mac,” Bellinger said. “I picked my head up, and Max had a huge target at third. I threw a pretty nasty sinker to him. He did a great job picking it and putting the tag on.”
Offensively, the Yankees didn’t break through until the end. While Ryan Weathers and Drew Rasmussen traded zeros through seven innings, Weathers was supported by the calm reality that one mistake would decide everything.
It was a day of limited room for error. For the fifth time this season, the Yankees mustered no run support behind Weathers, who allowed four hits and three walks, striking out four.
“They have a really good lineup that doesn’t swing and miss a ton,” Weathers said. “I thought we did a good job of getting soft contact early.”
Even the walk-off itself nearly had different outcomes. Pinch-runner Max Schuemann said he wasn’t sure Judge had gotten all of it.
“The wind was swirling all day,” Schuemann said. “If they made a catch, I didn’t want to get doubled off. If it fell, I probably could have gotten to third. I’m glad it went out.”
Kelly, who surrendered the pitch, described where he thought it would land.
“I thought it was kind of to the warning track,” Kelly said, “but he’s a big guy.”
The Yankees had come into the weekend carrying a specific kind of pressure. After Friday’s loss, Boone lamented that New York had to find a way to beat Tampa Bay, having opened the year winless in four tries. On Sunday, they finally did it.
Judge’s swing didn’t just end his personal drought. It gave the Yankees a win that closed the homestand and pointed toward what comes next.
“I’m glad we were able to come up with that win there,” Judge said, “and we’re on our way to Kansas City.”
Aaron Judge Yankees Rays walk-off homer Kevin Kelly Statcast Ryan Weathers Drew Rasmussen Cody Bellinger
About time lol.
So it was the rain that fixed it? I swear baseball games like that always flip right after the weather changes. Also “Kevin Kelly” sounds fake like that can’t be a real pitcher name.
I didn’t realize Judge had 11 games with no HR… that’s crazy. Boone said “somebody will pay the price” and then Judge just did it, which like yeah okay but it also says scoreless grind and then walk-off so idk how Kelly even missed that. Anyway Yankees back on track right?
Walk-off in the rain is always dramatic. I’m more hung up on the “basepath miscue” part, like was that the Rays messing up or Yankees? And Statcast said 363 feet like cool, but pitchers are getting all sinkers now and it’s just a matter of luck half the time. Also this happened in the Bronx so of course they finally win… homestand was “crappy” right? sounds like they needed one good swing to shut everyone up.