NEW YORK ā Aaron Judge smiled and perhaps blushed when informed of Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s praise.
āWe all tell him every day: `Hey, we want to be you when we grow up,'" Chisholm said after Judge became the third-fastest New York Yankees player to reach 500 extra-base hits with a three-run homer in the first inning of Thursday night's 9-7 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
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And the two players who reached the mark in fewer games than Judge? Joe DiMaggio and Lou Gehrig.
āWhen Iām an old man coming to Old-Timers Day I can look back and we can joke about it and laugh about it,ā Judge said.
Coming off his second AL MVP award, Judge fell a triple short of the cycle and is hitting .417 with five homers and 15 RBIs in the first six games this season. He has 320 homers, 175 doubles and five triples in 999 games, and only DiMaggio (853) and Gehrig (869) reached 500 extra-base hits in fewer games among Yankees.
āI feel like heās still getting there, which is remarkable,ā Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. āIt's that part of me that takes him for granted a little bit. I just feel like he should get an extra- base hit every time. I kind of say it out loud just to try and remind myself what weāre watching every day.ā
Judge lined a 1-1 fastball from Merrill Kelly at 112.1 mph to the opposite field and into the Yankees bullpen for a 3-0 lead. He added a run-scoring single in the fourth inning as the Yankees moved ahead 7-3, hit a 111.3 mph double in the sixth. He also flied out and hit a 109.5 mph groundout.
āIām like, did you miss that one?ā Boone recalled, laughing. āI catch myself having these ridiculous conversations with him sometimes, just because he keeps setting the bar so darn high.ā
Judge knows he's in for ribbing when he singles or doubles.
āHe gives me a little smirk when I get on base like that,ā he said.
Judge also stole his first base of the season, as did Chisholm. Judge swiped 10 last year to Chisholm's 40.
āI told him I was going to catch him in stolen bases this year," Judge said playfully.
āHe's starting to steal bags now. It's just getting ridiculous out of him, man,ā Chisholm said.
Chisholm and Trent Grisham hit two-run homers off Kelly (1-1), who allowed a career-high nine runs, nine hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings. Chisholm is hitting .292 with four homers and eight RBIs.
āIām OK compared to him. Iām trying to get to his level right now,ā Chisholm said of Judge. āI told him I'm not going to try to fall behind him too far. I got to keep up with him.ā
New York had 22 homers on a 4-2 opening homestand, five more than any other team ever hit in its first six games. Even though it was game No. 6, the Yankees felt an urgency after losing the Tuesday and Wednesday.
āBig G said a couple words before the game, just about this was our home turf. We got to go out there and we donāt get swept at home," he said of Giancarlo Stanton. "Guys took that to heart."
Carlos Carrasco (1-0) got his first Yankees win, giving up three runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings. After New York opened a 9-3 lead, Geraldo Perdomo hit a seventh-inning grand slam off Ryan Yarbrough. Luke Weaver got four outs for his first save this season, ending Arizonaās three-game winning streak.
Judge repeatedly refers to last year's World Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. It weighs on him far more than historical accomplishments.
āEspecially after last season where we werenāt able to finish the job, guys are motivated to go out and do something special,ā he said. āIt starts every game you play.ā
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb