New York Yankees right fielder and captain Aaron Judge hit two home runs in the team’s 11-7 Sunday night loss to the Boston Red Sox. Judge went three for four at the plate yesterday for four RBIs and two home runs, just hours after Red Sox rookie pitcher Hunter Dobbins said that he would rather retire than sign a contract with the Yanks.
“My dad was a diehard Red Sox fan,” Dobbins told The Boston Globe prior to Sunday’s game. “And I’ve said it before, that if the Yankees were the last team to give me a contract, I’d retire.”
As it turns out, two-time American League MVP Aaron Judge heard Dobbins’ statement and used it to fuel his fantastic performance.
“I really didn’t hear about it. Eduardo Perez, he told me before the game,” Judge told reporters after the loss. “I’ve only heard Ken Griffey Jr. say that, so I was a little surprised.”
The Judge sentenced this ball to exile. #AllRise pic.twitter.com/fLE1bpHEUo
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 8, 2025
Judge then admitted that it was on his mind during his first at-bat against Dobbins, which was hit for a 436-foot home run to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
When Judge hit his second home run of the evening in the ninth inning, he tied Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig for the record for the most multi-home run games at Yankee Stadium. Unfortunately for Judge, the loss overshadowed this milestone achievement.
“Would’ve been sweet if it was a win,” he explained. “[I] try not to think about it. [I’m] just trying to do my job there… Any time you get mentioned with those legends, it’s quite an honor. But it would’ve been sweeter to talk about it after a win.”
Judge may not have wanted to talk that much about his record-setting performance, but his teammates had no problem singing his praises.
Aaron Judge’s current 162-game pace:
1.264 OPS
.396 AVG
58 HR
139 RBIThe MVP favorite is chasing legends this year 👀 pic.twitter.com/XK3fehArcs
— Underdog (@Underdog) June 9, 2025
“He’s probably the best hitter on the planet right now,” said first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. “He’s been doing it for multiple years, too. It’s not a one-night thing. We’re all almost in awe of him.”
Despite Aaron Judge’s best efforts, the Yankees still lost this three-game series to their divisional rival 2-1. But that’s not going to stop the Yankees from battling back and being better prepared for the next time they face the Red Sox.
“Just keep going,” Judge said. “We’ve lost a couple series already this year. It’s just another series. [We] got a big one coming up with Kansas City, [who] we played in the postseason. Guys are having great at-bats, making great plays. Whenever you play the Red Sox, it’s going to be a series like this. Kind of back and forth. They have a big inning, we have one back. That’s Baseball. So just go back to work.”
The Yankees have today off but will be back in action tomorrow night against the Kansas City Royals. The first pitch in that game is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. EDT.
