Judge hits his 40th homer as Yankees go “back-to-back-to-back”; becomes the fourth player in team history with four 40-homer seasons.

On the 20th, the Yankees played against the Rays. Although the game was postponed for about two hours due to weather, the Yankees erupted in the first inning at their spring training home, launching three straight homers. Amazingly, this marked the third occurrence of such a feat for the Yankees this season, with captain Aaron Judge participating in all three instances.

Because Pure Pinellas Park was destroyed by a hurricane, the Rays have been hosting their home games this season at the Yankees’ spring training venue, George M. Steinbrenner Field. On the 20th, the two teams began a two-game series. Despite a rain delay before the game, the Yankees’ bats stayed hot after waiting two hours. In the first inning, with one out, Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton—three former MVPs—each homered in succession, delivering a rare “back-to-back-to-back” home run performance. This was the third time this season the Yankees have started a game with three consecutive homers in the first inning, and Judge participated in all three. Not only is this a first in Yankees history, but it’s also unprecedented in MLB history. Judge’s 40th homer of the season came during this outburst, making it his fourth season with 40 or more home runs—becoming the fourth Yankee ever to reach that mark.

This year marks Judge’s 10th season in the majors. He previously hit 50 or more homers in 2017, 2022, and 2024. With this season included, Judge now has four seasons with at least 40 home runs, joining just three other Yankees in this exclusive club: Babe Ruth (11 times), Lou Gehrig (5 times), and Mickey Mantle (4 times).