Aaron Judge vs Seth Lugo: How has Yankees captain fared against Royals ace?
Aaron Judge has been on a hot streak, hitting a homer in his third consecutive game as the New York Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals 6-3 on Wednesday night. The Yankees slugger will be up against the Royals' starting pitcher, Seth Lugo, for the final game on Thursday.
Aaron Judge's home run on Tuesday in the series opener was his longest of the season when he started the team's scoring with a 469-foot dinger that also scored Trent Grisham. On Wednesday, he went yard towards center field in the seventh inning to add the sixth run for the Yanks. It was his fourth one in three games, having homered twice against the Red Sox in an 11-7 loss on Sunday.
But unfortunately for Judge, he would have to produce his best form against Seth Lugo if he has to continue his home-run hitting streak against the starter. In 14 at-bats against Lugo, the Yankees captain has just one hit with no RBIs and has struck out 5 times for a low .071 average. This includes his previous appearances as a member of the Mets rotation.
The sole hit came earlier this season when New York hosted Kansas City. Judge hit a single in the third after striking out in the first inning against Lugo. Overall, Lugo has a 5-3 record with a 3.00 ERA in 15 appearances with 49 strikeouts. As part of the Royals, he has a 1-2 record.
Aaron Judge earning praise from the Yankees dugout after superlative display
Aaron Judge's record breaking start to the 2025 season continues to get better. His three-game home run streak extended his on-base streak on road games to 54, which keeps him only behind Lou Gehrig (60), Derek Jeter (60) and Babe Ruth (62) on the Yankees list.
The 33-year-old's three-homer streak is also the 16th time he has achieved it in his career so far. Judge has reached multiple bases 51 times in the 66 games so far in 2025, making him the third Yankee to do so since Ruth and Gehrig.
“I think it’s getting out of hand at this point,” said Schmidt about Judge. “Every time he goes up there, he’s ready to do damage. Obviously, the average is what it is. If it’s not a homer, it’s probably a hit. It’s crazy impressive what he’s able to do.”
After flirting with his AL home run record last year with 58, it remains to be seen where Judge ends up this season.