The number that everyone wants to know is the one Aaron Judge is going to wind up getting after the season, presuming he doesn’t reopen talks with the Yankees and becomes a free agent.
For now, Judge continues to pile up huge home run numbers, as he added two more in Monday’s 6-4 loss to the Orioles at the Stadium.
It was his fourth multi-homer game of the year and Judge has an MLB-high 17 on the year.
“Just trying to do my job,” Judge said. “Just like everyone else in this building.”
He hit a solo homer in the first and a two-run shot in the fifth, becoming just the fifth player in franchise history to hit 17 home runs in the team’s first 42 games, joining Mickey Mantle (20), Babe Ruth (19 in 1928, 18 in 1930) and Alex Rodriguez and Tino Martinez who hit 17 in 2007 and 1997, respectively.
“Sometimes I feel like he’s salivating for something, gets it and drills it,’’ Gerrit Cole said. “Sometimes I feel like he’s being a good baseball player, staying up the middle and drills it the same way. … He’s making better swings than they’re throwing. He’s just better.”
Aaron Boone added, “Sometimes I take him for granted, I think. But not right now. He’s really carrying us offensively.”