The day started with standouts from the past gathered in Monument Park, but as usual, the real star on Saturday afternoon was Aaron Judge, who powered the Yankees to their third straight win over the horrid Royals, 8-2, in The Bronx.
It was just another day for the slugger, who continued his record-setting pace with his MLB-leading 42nd homer of the season — and 200th of his career.
Only Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard reached the 200-homer milestone faster, getting there in 658 games, compared to Judge’s 671.
Asked the importance of the milestone, Judge said, “just so I can get past it. I feel like big numbers are tough to get past.”
The homer Saturday, Judge’s ninth in nine games, was a two-run laser to right off right-hander Jonathan Heasley, who, like the rest of the Royals, was overmatched.
It also put him on pace for 67 homers, which would break the franchise and American League mark of 61, set by Roger Maris in 1961.
NEW YORK SPORTS THIS WEEK 