All the Yankees needed to break out of their funk was a historic night from Aaron Judge.
Forget Judge being shut down to rest his sprained right big toe with the Yankees all but dead in the playoff race.
He proved to be a one-man wrecking crew on Wednesday, when he erupted for the first three-homer game of his career against the Yankees snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 9-1 win against the Nationals in The Bronx.
The skid had been their longest since 1982, and another loss would have given the Yankees their first 10-game losing streak since 1913.
Judge homered in the first, second and seventh innings, with The Bronx crowd chanting “MVP” after his third blast of the night.
“I don’t play this game to hit homers,” Judge said. “I play the game to put us in position to win ballgames.”
Those have been hard to come by, and even with the win, the Yankees are four games under .500 (61-65) and 9 ½ games out of the final AL wild-card spot.
Aaron Judges watches one of his three home runs against the Nationals on Wednesday night. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
Luis Severino chipped in with perhaps his best start of the season, as he tossed 6 ²/₃ scoreless innings.
Before the game, the team said there was no talk of getting Judge off his feet as he plays through the toe injury that’s plagued him since he crashed into the Dodger Stadium fence making a catch on June 3.
Judge reiterated he has no plans to sit as long as the Yankees are alive.
“That’s what it’s about,’’ Judge said. “I wanted to come back. I’ve got a job to do here with this team. We have all the guys in the room to make something happen.’’
“He’s special,’’ Aaron Boone said. “What we saw him do last year, he’s basically doing the same thing. He just missed a big chunk [of the season].”
General manager Brian Cashman added he’s been encouraged by how Judge has felt — and played — since returning from the injury.
Aaron Judge is all smiles during his three-homer game on Wednesday. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
Aaron Judge is all smiles during this three-home-run performance on Wednesday night. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST“He came back when he didn’t have to and was still compromised,’’ Cashman said. “He’s still playing through it, but it’s going well. If we’re in a position where we feel he’s in jeopardy [of further injury], we’ll have that conversation. Forgetting our playoff situation, if it’s a risky situation, we’ll have that conversation.”
Boone noted Judge’s status is “something we’ll continue to watch closely.”
He’s been one of the few bright spots in the offense, with a team-high 27 home runs in just 72 games.
Aaron Judge celebrates one of his three home runs against the Nationals on Wednesday night. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
The Yankees’ Harrison Bader after scoring past Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz after he dropped during the second inning on Wednesday. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POSTDespite that, the Yankees are still in the middle of their worst season in decades, and they nearly set some unwanted history.
Before Judge’s first-inning homer, they hadn’t even led in a game for 61 innings. The Yankees hadn’t been ahead since being up 2-1 in the top of the second in Atlanta on Aug. 14. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the 61-inning stretch was the third-longest such streak in franchise history, just two innings shy of the 63-inning record stretch set in 1906.
“That was the first time we had a lead in a while,’’ Kyle Higashioka said. “It doesn’t feel good to lose nine [straight]. We’re out there battling. It was a good step in the right direction and we’ll see what happens.”
Boone also acknowledged the streak “certainly has weighed on us. It’s no fun to go through that and it can beat you down. We’re gonna keep fighting.”
As long as they have Judge — even not fully healthy — they can put together a night like Wednesday.
