Aaron Judge hits MLB-best 53rd homer, Yankees open 3-game AL East lead with 5-2 win over Red Sox

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 53rd homer, and the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 5-2 on Sunday to open a three-game AL East lead over second-place Baltimore.

Judge, whose 132 RBIs also top the major leagues, homered twice in three games followed a career-high 16-game homerless streak and helped Carlos Rodón get his career-best 15th win.

New York (87-63) took three of four from the Red Sox and headed on the road for a seven-game trip to Seattle and Oakland on the verge of clinching a postseason berth after failing to reach the playoffs last year for the first time since 2016.

Tyler O’Neill hit a two-run homer for the Red Sox (75-75), who dropped 4 1/2 games behind Minnesota (79-70) for the final AL wild card spot.

Wearing No. 21 on Roberto Clemente Day, Judge hit a two-run shot in a three-run third off Kutter Crawford (8-15) on an 0-1 fastball. The 445-foot drive soared off the glass of the center-field restaurant that serve's as the batter's eye and fell onto the netting above Monument Park behind center field for a 4-0 lead.

After Boston manager Alex Cora admitted before the game Brayan Bello tried hitting Judge on purpose in the sixth inning Saturday on a pitch that was behind the slugger, Judge carried his bat about halfway down the line before dropping it as he approached first base.

“It’s a big homer,” Judge said. “We’re playing the Red Sox. This is a big rival, big games, big moment. So I’m just having some fun with the moment.”

Judge joined Babe Ruth (1921, 1927), Roger Maris (1961), Mickey Mantle (1961) as Yankees with at least 53 homers through New York's first 150 games.

“It’s been an amazing season and you’re not going to keep him off the board long even though I guess it’s long by his standards,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “That ball he hit today that ball is cleaned out off the restaurant out there.”

“For him it’s pretty normal,” Rodón said. “Not many guys take that pitch out to center like that.”

Gleyber Torres also homered off Crawford, a drive into the short porch in right to start the third. According to Statcast, Torres’ drive would have been a homer only at Houston and Yankee Stadium.

“Whatever he can do right now, I’m glad to see it in person,” Torres said about Judge.

Giancarlo Stanton had an RBI single along with a sacrifice fly as the Yankees won for the seventh time in 10 games.

Rodón allowed two runs and six hits 5 1/3 innings, surpassing his 14 wins with San Francisco in 2022.

Five relievers combined for 3 2/3 scoreless innings. Clay Holmes stranded a runner in the eighth and Tommy Kahnle got a double play on Jarren Duran to finish his first save this season.

Kahnle became the eighth pitcher to get a save for the Yankees this year. He needed only four pitches to get Duran to bounce into his second double play of the game.

Crawford has allowed a major league-high 33 home runs. He gave up four runs and six hits in 4 1/3 innings and lost his sixth straight start.

Rafael Devers singled ahead of O’Neill’s homer in the fourth, went 1 for 3 and is homerless in 17 straight games.

“It’s getting tougher and tougher,” Cora said after his team went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position.

Second baseman Romy Gonzalez’s error led to Boston’s major league-high 91st unearned run.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: OF Rob Refsnyder (right wrist discomfort) missed his third straight game and is still experiencing soreness. … RHP Tanner Houck, who was scratched from Friday’s start because of shoulder fatigue and last pitched on Sept. 4, is scheduled to pitch Wednesday in Tampa Bay.

UP NEXT

Red Sox: Start a three-game series at Tampa Bay on Tuesday on Tuesday.

Yankees: RHP Luis Gil (13-6, 3.18 ERA) opposes Mariners RHP Bryan Wood (8-2, 2.38) in the opener of a three-game series on Tuesday night.

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

New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton hits a sacrifice fly during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres (25) celebrates with Jasson Dominguez, second from left, Juan Soto, second from right, and Aaron Judge, right, after a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge, right, celebrates with Juan Soto, front, and Jasson Dominguez (89) after a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge stands on first base that is commemorated for Roberto Clemente Day during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon walks off the field during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora, left, walks out to take Kutter Crawford (50) out during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Boston Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida reacts after flying out during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Boston Red Sox's Trevor Story reacts after striking out during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Yankees' Clay Holmes pitches during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Kutter Crawford reacts after giving up a two-run home run to New York Yankees' Aaron Judge during the third inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge reacts after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge watches his two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Yankees' Gleyber Torres, right, is congratulated by Aaron Judge, left, after hitting a home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge reacts after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Saturday drew a direct link between immigration and an attack in Germany where a man drove into a Christmas market teeming with holiday shoppers, killing at least five people and injuring 200 others.

During a rare appearance before independent media in Budapest, Orbán expressed his sympathy to the families of the victims of what he called the “terrorist act” on Friday night in the city of Magdeburg. But the long-serving Hungarian leader, one of the European Union's most vocal critics, also implied that the 27-nation bloc's migration policies were to blame.

German authorities said the suspect, a 50-year-old Saudi doctor, is under investigation. He has lived in Germany since 2006, practicing medicine. Describing himself as a former Muslim, the suspect shared dozens of tweets and retweets daily focusing on anti-Islam themes, criticizing the religion and congratulating Muslims who left the faith.

Orbán claimed without evidence that such attacks only began to occur in Europe after 2015, when hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees entered the EU after largely fleeing war and violence in the Middle East and Africa.

Europe has in fact seen numerous militant attacks going back decades including train bombings in Madrid, Spain, in 2004 and attacks on central London in 2005.

Still, the nationalist leader declared that “there is no doubt that there is a link” between migration and terrorism, and claimed that the EU leadership "wants Magdeburg to happen to Hungary too.”

Orbán's anti-immigrant government has taken a hard line on people entering Hungary since 2015, and has built fences protected by razor wire on Hungary's southern borders with Serbia and Croatia.

In June, the European Court of Justice ordered Hungary to pay a fine of 200 million euros ($216 million) for persistently breaking the bloc’s asylum rules, and an additional 1 million euros per day until it brings its policies into line with EU law.

Orbán, a right-wing populist who is consistently at odds with the EU, has earlier vowed that Hungary would not change its migration and asylum policies regardless of any rulings from the EU's top court.

On Saturday, he promised that his government will fight back against what he called EU efforts to “impose” immigration policies on Hungary.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks during his annual international press conference in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks during his annual international press conference in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks during his annual international press conference in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks during his annual international press conference in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks during his annual international press conference in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)