The New York Yankees’ dynamic duo of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto accomplished something for the team that hasn’t been done since 2011.
Soto and Judge are the first Yankees’ teammates to hit the 100-RBI mark in the same season since Mark Teixeira, Robinson Canó and Curtis Granderson did it 13 years ago.
Judge got to 100 RBIs on Aug. 2 and currently owns an MLB-high 126 in 144 games. Soto hit the century mark with a two-run homer in the sixth inning off Kansas City Royals starter Cole Ragans in Wednesday’s 4-3 extra-inning win.
Adding to the drama of the moment was Soto seemed like he might have to come out of the game after fouling a ball off his foot before hitting the next pitch over the wall in right field.
If Soto hits another homer before the end of the season, it will mark the fifth time in MLB history that teammates have at least 40 homers, 100 RBI and 100 walks in the same year.
The Yankees’ acquisition of Soto during the offseason has somehow managed to exceed the already-high expectations for him in the Bronx. He has set a career-high in homers (39) with 16 games remaining and has his highest OPS (.998) since 2021.
Judge has slowed down recently with no homers in his last 15 games, but he still leads MLB in homers (51), RBI (126), on-base percentage (.454) and slugging percentage (.686). The 32-year-old is on track to win his second AL MVP award in the last three seasons.
New York will be hoping that Soto and Judge have better luck in the playoffs than the 2011 team that lost to the Detroit Tigers in the AL Division Series.
The Yankees (84-62) have opened up a 1.5-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles (83-64) for the top spot in the AL East. They are tied with the Cleveland Guardians (84-62) for the best record in the AL and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
