On Tuesday night, the New York Yankees welcomed back Aaron Judge to their lineup and he made an immediate impact. Judge recorded a home run, three hits, and four RBIs in his return as the Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles 8-3.
Judge had been out since April 20th due to a strained left oblique. He was activated from the 10-day injured list before the game and made his presence felt right away. He hit a solo home run in the third inning off of Orioles starter David Hess to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead. He later added a two-run single in the fourth inning to extend the lead to 5-2.
The Yankees offense was on fire all night long, as they scored eight runs on 12 hits. Gleyber Torres had two hits and two RBIs, while Brett Gardner and Didi Gregorius each drove in a run.
The Yankees starting pitcher, Masahiro Tanaka, pitched well in his return from the injured list. He allowed three runs on five hits over six innings of work while striking out seven batters. The bullpen then shut the door, with Adam Ottavino, Zack Britton, and Aroldis Chapman combining to pitch three scoreless innings.
The win was a big one for the Yankees, as it kept them in first place in the American League East. They now have a record of 24-14 and are two games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays.
It was also a great night for Aaron Judge, who showed that he is back and ready to make an impact for the Yankees. He is now batting .288 with nine home runs and 20 RBIs on the season. With Judge back in the lineup, the Yankees look poised to make a deep run in the playoffs this year.
