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The Yankees almost certainly will not qualify for the playoffs, are wrapping up a season that general manager Brian Cashman called a “disaster” and have turned September games into open tryouts for next year.

But 39,143 fans showed up in The Bronx on Friday anyway, with the hope that the Yankees’ biggest attraction — literally — would deliver.

Aaron Judge again answered the call. The captain came through with his second, three-homer game of the year — becoming the first player in Yankees history to have multiple games with three home runs in one season — in a 7-1 win over the Diamondbacks that was a reminder of both Judge’s heights and his club’s depths.

On Thursday, the Yankees were reminded that they have wasted a prime season of Gerrit Cole, who pitched a gem that night and has positioned himself well for the American League Cy Young Award.

A night later, it was Judge who provided a reminder that, despite plenty of time lost due to the torn ligament in his right big toe, his kind of dominance should not be squandered.

“He’s just different than everyone else,” manager Aaron Boone said of Judge, who accomplished something Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio never did. “That’s greatness.”


  New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) reacts as he rounds the bases after he hits a solo homer during the 7th inning when the New York Yankees played the Arizona Diamondbacks. Robert Sabo for NY Post New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) reacts as he rounds the bases after he hits a solo homer during the 7th inning when the New York Yankees played the Arizona Diamondbacks. Robert Sabo for NY Post

The right fielder has blasted 35 home runs in 100 games, which, when extrapolated to a full season, would give him 57 homers.

He played two games in June and three games in July, yet finished play Friday tied for third in home runs in the AL.

One season after setting the Yankees and American League record with 62 homers, Judge is nearly doing it again.

This season will be remembered, though, as incomplete.

The superstar missed about eight weeks after crashing into the concrete portion of the Dodger Stadium right-field wall.


  New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) tips his cap to the crowd after he scores on his solo homer during the 7th inning when the New York Yankees played the Arizona Diamondbacks. Robert Sabo for NY Post New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) tips his cap to the crowd after he scores on his solo homer during the 7th inning when the New York Yankees played the Arizona Diamondbacks. Robert Sabo for NY Post

“A lot of missed time, a lot of missed opportunities. That’s how I look at it,” Judge said of his 2023. “You look at the numbers that I’ve got now, but I look more at the games I’ve missed and the opportunities I’ve missed.”

He left a 35-25 team on June 3 and returned on July 28 to a 54-48 club that kept sliding until it was out of the playoff chase.

The Yankees (78-76) are mathematically still in the hunt, but just barely.

Judge played as if his breaths alone were keeping this season alive.


  Aaron Judge rounds the bases on his two-run homer during the fifth inning on September 22, 2023. Robert Sabo for NY Post Aaron Judge rounds the bases on his two-run homer during the fifth inning on September 22, 2023. Robert Sabo for NY Post

The right fielder went 4-for-4 with six RBIs, his worst at-bat resulting in a first-inning double.

He wound up stranded on third, then ensured that could not happen again.

In the third inning, Judge demolished a first-pitch sinker from Brandon Pfaadt 420 feet to right-center for a three-run homer.

In the fifth inning, Judge crushed a middle-of-the-plate fastball from Pfaadt into the same area in right-center for a 6-0 lead.


  Judge made history with his three homers. Robert Sabo for NY Post Judge made history with his three homers. Robert Sabo for NY Post

In the seventh, it was a different pitcher, but the same story.

He reversed Slade Cecconi’s fastball, 108.4 mph off Judge’s bat, into the second deck in right field for a solo homer that brought a loud Stadium crowd to its feet again.

The next batter, Gleyber Torres, used a timeout to allow the face of the Yankees to take a curtain call on a night when he blasted an estimated 1,182 feet of home runs.

“It’s nice to be on the right side of that,” said winning pitcher Luke Weaver, who faced Judge earlier this season as a member of the Reds.


  New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge is greeted by his teammates in the dugout after he scores on his two-run homer during the fifth inning. Robert Sabo for NY Post New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge is greeted by his teammates in the dugout after he scores on his two-run homer during the fifth inning. Robert Sabo for NY Post

Judge’s supporting cast was a reminder of the lack of stakes to the game.

Weaver, who was claimed on waivers earlier this month, shut down the Diamondbacks for 5 ¹/₃ innings.

The Yankees’ only non-Judge RBI came on a fifth-inning double by Estevan Florial, who had spent his season in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

On display were the reasons for Yankees fans to turn away — and one 6-foot-7 reason to keep watching.

“It’s incredible,” Judge said of becoming the first Yankee with multiple three-homer games in a season. “You see the list of players that have come through here, the retired numbers out there. But I’m just trying to do my job.”

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