The only thing more consistent than Aaron Judge lately has been the Yankees’ dominant starting pitching — and they combined for a fifth straight win on Saturday afternoon.
Luis Severino turned in the latest gem, spinning seven shutout innings of one-hit ball, and Judge crushed another home run to help lift the Yankees over the Tigers, 3-0 in The Bronx.
The Yankees (38-15) have now outscored opponents 33-3 during their five-game winning streak, including back-to-back shutouts against the Tigers (21-32).
“It’s fun to play behind guys like that, especially when they’re going out there and attacking guys,” Judge said. “It keeps the game moving and keeps us in a flow on offense especially. It’s sometimes tough when you got guys up there that walk a guy, walk a guy and you’re kind of sitting around a lot on defense. They’re keeping us active and giving us a chance to go up there and hit quite a bit.”
Luis Severino continued the Yankees’ streak of red-hot pitching. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Aaron Judge crushes a solo home run in the first inning. Robert Sabo for the NY POSTSeverino lost his bid for a perfect game in the second inning — on Miguel Cabrera’s single that was smoked off the glove of shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa — after Jameson Taillon and Gerrit Cole had longer flirtations with perfection in the previous two games. But Cabrera’s hit proved to be the only one Severino (4-1) allowed all day.
The Yankees right-hander struck out 10 and walked just one, retiring the final 13 batters he faced.
“I’m afraid to get traded — if I don’t get six or seven, I’m not good enough,” joked Severino, who lowered his ERA to 2.95 through 10 starts. “Watching every starter go seven, so I have to do the same.”
Each of the Yankees’ past five starters has thrown at least seven innings and allowed one run or fewer, marking only the fourth time in franchise history (and first since 1978) that has happened.
Michael King and Clay Holmes preserved the shutout with perfect innings in the eighth and ninth. Holmes earned his eighth save.
Anthony Rizzo hits a solo homer in the sixth inning. Corey Sipkin for the NY POSTJudge gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead on the first pitch they saw, leading off the bottom of the first with a home run to right field off Tigers right-hander Beau Brieske. It was Judge’s major league-leading 21st home run of the year in the Yankees’ 53rd game and his fourth in his last six games.
“We talk about our starting rotation and how special that’s been to watch so far, the same can be said for Aaron Judge,” manager Aaron Boone said.
Judge’s dominant start — he is also hitting .316 with a 1.075 OPS — currently has him on pace to hit 60 home runs.
“With him, anything’s possible,” Boone said. “That is an enormous number to get to, and we’ve got a long way to go, but I won’t put a cap on anything he can do.”
Anthony Rizzo, left, celebrates with Aaron Judge during the Yankees’ win over the Tigers. Corey Sipkin for the NY POSTJudge attributed the power surge to the strength of the lineup around him.
“When I just try to stay consistent and get on base for the guys around me, it simplifies everything for me at the plate,” Judge said. “I don’t feel like I have to try to do everything. I don’t feel like I have to swing for the fences. I just try to put a good swing on it.”
Anthony Rizzo added a solo home run to the second deck in right field in the sixth inning, his second in as many days after homering just twice in May.
Josh Donaldson then provided another insurance run on a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning.
“[One run is] all our guys need,” Judge said. “Especially when we got the bullpen we do and how our starting pitchers have been rolling, we just gotta get them one run and kind of sit back and let them do the rest.”







