Who needs an Aaron Judge home run?
The Yankees won in dramatic fashion again Friday night without Judge homering.
While Judge remained stuck on 60 homers again in pursuit of No. 61, the Yankees won their fifth straight, this one 5-4 over the Red Sox at the Stadium — and the last three wins have come without a Judger homer.
“He’s getting off the right swings,’’ manager Aaron Boone said of the slugger. “It’s gonna come.”
Harrison Bader sparked the game-winning rally with two outs in the eighth inning, pinch-hitting for Oswaldo Cabrera and drawing a walk.
With Jose Trevino at the plate, Bader took off for second. Lefty reliever Matt Strahm threw to first, but his throw got away from Triston Casas, as Bader swiped second and got to third on the error.
Harrison Bader is greeted in the Yankees dugout. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Jose Trevino hits the go-ahead single in the eighth inning. Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostTrevino then delivered another big hit, this one a go-ahead RBI single to center.
Jonathan Loaisiga tossed a scoreless eighth inning before allowing a pair of one-out singles in the ninth. He struck out pinch-hitter Abraham Almonte, however, and got Reese McGuire to ground out to end it.
After the Blue Jays’ loss at Tampa Bay, the Yankees’ magic number to clinch the division fell to four.
“We’re just trying to get wins,’’ said Aaron Hicks, who homered and had an RBI single. “Everything else will take care of itself.”
The two scoreless innings from Loaisiga helped bail out Gerrit Cole, who was hurt by homers once again, giving up two — including a game-tying, three-run shot byAlex Verdugo in the sixth.
After Cole struck out J.D. Martinez to end that inning, he barked at home plate umpire Brian Knight and was ejected, as was Boone, who came out to protect the furious Cole.
Meanwhile, another sellout crowd in The Bronx was left wanting more, as Judge went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.
“The casual person comes tonight and [thinks he’ll] hit a homer,’’ Boone said. “He just missed two the last two nights.”
Gerrit Cole was ejected in the sixth inning. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Aaron Boone argues with the umpires during the sixth inning. Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostJudge hasn’t homered since the ninth inning of the comeback win over the Pirates on Tuesday, but that hasn’t slowed the Yankees.
Cole’s home run issues, however, are more pressing.
After Tommy Pham’s two-out solo homer in the first, Cole cruised into the sixth, when he ran into trouble after a one-out double by Kiké Hernandez and a walk to Rafael Devers.
He struck out Pham for the second out and thought he had caught Verdugo looking on a 1-2 pitch. But it was called a ball — though it looked low.
Aaron Judge hits a single in the seventh inning. Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostVerdugo then hammered a three-run, game-tying homer into the Yankees’ bullpen in right-center.
Cole has allowed 10 home runs in his last six starts.
The Yankees’ offense got going in the bottom of the third, when Hicks tied the game with a one-out solo homer to left. Hicks, in his first game in The Bronx since being pulled on Sept. 9 after a pair of miscues, had been booed on his way to the plate.
In his three previous games — all on the road — Hicks had gone 5-for-12 with a homer, a double and five strikeouts.
Aaron Hicks hits a home run in the third inning. Robert Sabo for the NY POST
Aaron Hicks, right, celebrates with Marwin Gonzalez. Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostIsiah Kiner-Falefa led off the fifth inning with a single and Marwin Gonzalez walked before Hicks singled to left to drive in Kiner-Falefa.
Judge, who flied out left in the third, then whiffed against Hill for a second time, this one on a 73-mph curveball.
Giancarlo Stanton flied out to right, but Torres’ double down the left-field line drove in two more runs to make it 4-1.
But Cole couldn’t hold the lead.
The home run by Verdugo was the 31st allowed by Cole this season — tying his career high.







