Aaron Judge and Ben Rice Combined for 17 Homers and the Royals Never Had a Chance

The Yankees just completed a series sweep of Kansas City with a 7-0 demolition at Yankee Stadium, and the story was pure power baseball. Aaron Judge came out swinging after a rain delay, crushing the first pitch he saw from Cole Ragans into Monument Park for a two-run homer in a three-run first inning. That's his ninth of the season already, and his sixth in the last eight games. Judge is now second in the Majors with nine homers, trailing only Yordan Alvarez of the Astros who has 10.

But here's what's really wild: Ben Rice is making a legitimate case as one of the league's most dangerous hitters right now. The young first baseman went deep for a fourth consecutive game, launching a solo shot off Ragans in the second inning. Rice came into Sunday ranked second in the Majors with a 1.243 OPS, and his production is making it impossible for manager Aaron Boone to keep him out of the lineup, even against left-handers he's traditionally platoon'd against. Boone said it plainly: "He's just continued to solidify himself. I think he's one of the really outstanding hitters in this league, and we're seeing that more and more." Judge and Rice have combined for 17 homers, the most of any teammate duo in baseball this year.

The Yankees' Winning Formula Is Working

Cole Ragans took a beating. The Royals' left-hander gave up a three-run homer to Trent Grisham in addition to Judge and Rice's blasts, and walked a career-high eight batters before getting pulled in the fifth inning. Ryan Weathers got the win, his first in pinstripes, pitching 7 1/3 innings of strong baseball. This was the first real run support he's gotten in five starts this season. The formula is simple and effective: the Yankees are 8-1 when they hit two or more homers this season, but just 12-9 in all other games. That's the gap between elite and mediocre in early April, and Judge and Rice are making sure the Bombers stay on the winning side of it.

Judge's Historic Pace

Judge now has five first-inning homers this season. His 90 first-inning homers in his career rank third in Yankees history, behind only Babe Ruth (126) and Mickey Mantle (103). Since 2024, 45 of his 120 home runs have come in the first inning. Judge and Rice are also the third Yankees tandem to each hit eight or more homers through the team's first 22 games, joining Berra and Mantle in 1956 and Judge and Rizzo in 2022.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.