The New York Yankees maintained their half game lead over the second-place Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East after finishing off a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals Wednesday. With the contest knotted at three in the seventh inning, Aaron Judge played hero with a clutch, go-ahead home run to right center. Cody Bellinger then put an exclamation point on the evening, ending the game with a remarkable diving catch in the ninth inning.

Despite the superb defensive effort from the Gold Glove outfielder, Bellinger shined the spotlight on Judge after the game. “It’s truly amazing… I just feel like, in any situation, he’s going to come out on top. He’s the best player on this planet, and it’s fun to watch,” Bellinger said of his new teammate, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

Aaron Judge powers the Yankees to victory

Apr 16, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Aaron Judge (99) hits a solo home run in the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium.
Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The reigning AL MVP is off to a scorching-hot start this season. While it had been 10 games since his last home run, Judge leads all of baseball in batting average (.409), on-base percentage (.519), slugging percentage (.803), OPS (1.322), hits (27) and bWAR (1.6). He’s second in home runs with seven and leads the American League in RBI (21) and runs (20).

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The Yankees have needed every bit of Judge’s epic start as the team is still figuring out its starting rotation. New York lost ace Gerrit Cole to season-ending Tommy John surgery this spring and Luis Gil is on the shelf for multiple months with a high-grade lat strain.

The Yankees did get Clark Schmidt back on Wednesday after he opened the season on the IL with rotator cuff tendinitis. He pitched well in his 2025 debut, going 5.2 innings against the Royals, allowing three runs on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

However, it was reliever Fernando Cruz who stepped up, preserving New York’s 4-3 lead and slamming the door on the Royals with a two-inning save. Cruz’s performance earned praise from Judge.

Despite a solid start to the season, the Yankees’ rotation does have some serious question marks. Former pitcher Dontrelle Willis believes a trade is necessary for the team to return to the World Series in 2025.