Aaron Judge homers twice, Juan Soto homers and drives in 5 as Yankees rout Guardians 8-1

NEW YORK (AP) Aaron Judge homered twice and drove in three runs and Juan Soto hit a two-run homer in the first inning and drove in five to power the New York Yankees to an 8-1 rout over the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday night.

Judge hit a two-run homer in the third and added a solo shot in the seventh, upping his major league-leading total to 47. Judge has six homers in his last nine games, 12 in his last 23 games and is on pace to hit 60 home runs.

Judge joined Babe Ruth and Roger Maris as the third player in team history to hit 47 homers in the first 127 games of a season. Ruth had 51 in 1921 when he finished with 59 and Maris had 50 at this point in 1961 when he hit 61 to break Ruth’s single-season record.

“I think that he just kind of keeps getting a little bit better all the time,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I think that’s what greatness is. You’re never kind of satisfied with who you are. Obviously since he’s been in the league, he’s pretty much been great from jump, but I think the way he controls the strike zone now is to another level and then his power is different than just about anyone.”

Judge had his fourth multi-homer game this season and it was the slugger’s 38th career multi-homer game.

Soto hit his career-high 36th homer on rookie Joey Cantillo’s sixth pitch, a 2-2 offering he sent onto the netting above Monument Park in center field. He eclipsed his career best set last season with San Diego and became the first player in Yankees history to have eight straight hits be home runs.

Soto homered for the eighth time in nine games, a stretch that began Aug. 11 and includes his three-homer game last week in Chicago against the White Sox.

Judge and Soto homered in the same game for the second straight game and 11th time overall. The Yankees improved to 9-2 this season when the powerful duo go deep in the same game.

“It’s fun,” Soto said of him and Judge homering in the same game. “It’s great to see. It’s great to take the lead early and follow it up by one of the greatest hitters in the game.”

Soto tied a season high with five RBIs for the second time and followed his homer with a bases-clearing double in the fourth on a check swing down the left field line.

“That was impressive but that’s what makes him so special,” Judge said. “He can go 112 (mph) to dead center and then he can also on a 3-2 count shoot a ball down the left field line. It’s fun to watch.”

Soto reached three times and walked ahead of Judge’s two-run shot in the third. Soto drove in five for the fifth time in his career.

“They’re not missing pitches right now,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said.

Nestor Cortes (7-10) pitched seven innings of four-hit ball and gave New York some much-needed length after the Yankees used every reliever Tuesday. The lefty won consecutive starts for the first time since May 17 and 22 and became the first Yankee since Ron Guidry in 1977 to pitch at least seven scoreless innings without a walk in consecutive starts.

In his fourth career start, Cantillo (0-3) allowed seven runs and six hits in four innings. He was one strike away from getting out of the fourth before Soto doubled.

Rookie Jhonkensy Noel homered in the eighth off Tim Mazya as Cleveland lost for the 11th time in 17 games and pulled Steven Kwan and Ramírez after batting in the seventh.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: RHP Luis Gil (strained lower back) was placed on the injured list after exiting in the fourth inning Tuesday. … RHP Clarke Schmidt (strained right lat), out since May 27, will begin a rehab assignment Friday for Double-A Somerset. … 3B Jazz Chisholm Jr. (sprained left elbow) took batting practice on the field for the first time since going on the IL a week ago. … 1B Anthony Rizzo (broken right forearm) took batting practice on the field and will begin a rehab assignment as a DH for Double-A Somerset this weekend.

UP NEXT

Yankees RHP Gerrit Cole (4-2, 4.15 ERA) makes his first attempt at becoming the fourth active pitcher to reach 150 career wins and opposes Cleveland RHP Gavin Williams (2-5, 5.02) on Thursday afternoon.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb