Aaron Judge’s Three Homers Pulls Yankees Out Of Severe Funk

Despite the New York Yankees being at risk of finishing the season with a record below .500 for the first time since 1992, Aaron Judge is not giving up on his team.

The slugger had his first three-home run game of his career in Wednesday’s 9-1 win over the Washington Nationals.

With the win, the Yankees snapped a nine-game losing streak, the club’s longest in 28 years. Amid the drought, New York brought up two top prospects ahead of Tuesday’s matchup with Washington, hoping the young talent could be the spark the team needs.

It turns out that all the team needed was their veteran slugger.

Judge went deep in the first, second and seventh innings of the matchup with the middle of the three being a grand slam. He finished the game 3-for-4 with the three long balls and six RBIs.

The outfielder is playing through a toe injury that he suffered back on June 3 when he slammed into the Dodger Stadium fence to make a catch.

“He came back when he didn’t have to and was still compromised,” general manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday, per the New York Post. “He’s still playing through it, but it’s going well. If we’re in a position where we feel he’s in jeopardy (of further injury), we’ll have that conversation. Forgetting our playoff situation, if it’s a risky situation, we’ll have that conversation.”

Judge continues to be the spark in the struggling Yankees’ offense, batting .279 this season with 27 homers.

“I think he’s doing well,” manager Aaron Boone said, according to the New York Post. “He continues to improve from when he first came back to now. I think he’s in a better place and is pretty much playing every day.”

The Yankees are 9 1/2 games out of the American League Wild Card, sitting behind the rival Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays, as they look to make a push for a playoff spot.