In a game marked by clutch offense, strong bullpen work, and a highlight-reel defensive play, the Yankees held off the Royals 4-3 on Wednesday night to complete a sweep at Yankee Stadium. Aaron Judge and Fernando Cruz led the charge. Judge, putting up video game-like numbers, launched a go-ahead solo homer in the seventh — his first since April 4 — finishing the night 3-for-3 with a walk and pushing his league-leading average to .409 and his OPS to a staggering 1.322.
“That’s why he’s here,” Judge said of Cruz, who locked down the final two innings for his first career save. “He came in and shut the door.”
Cruz, who handled two tense innings while giving the tired bullpen a break, praised Judge in return: “He’s superhuman. You just expect him to deliver — and he always does.”
The win was sealed by Cody Bellinger’s game-saving, diving catch on a liner from MJ Melendez in the ninth. “That’s why he’s got a Gold Glove,” Judge said of the dramatic snag. “Hardly anyone makes that play, especially with the game on the line like that.”
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