The New York Yankees beat the Miami Marlins 9-4 Friday night behind an Aaron Judge home run and offensive outburst. It was routine for Yankees manager Aaron Boone to witness such occasions last season. They've been much harder to come by in 2023, making the Yankees' win over the Marlins all the more noteworthy.

New York started its three-game series with the Marlins by scoring more runs than it had in a single game since the All-Star break. Anthony Volpe gave the Yankees a 3-0 lead with a second-inning home run. Aaron Judge launched a 446-foot bomb the following inning, rounding the bases for the 22nd time this season.

“Any time we can add more runs, they feel great,” said Judge, via MLB.com. “The past couple of games, we’ve had guys on base. We just haven’t been able to get that big hit. Today we were able to get a couple of clutch hits.”

Judge is hitting .256 with three homers since coming back from a toe injury on July 28. Judge's return hasn't re-energized New York like some hoped it would. The Yankees have gone 6-8, falling further out of the playoff race.

If New York plans to contend for a wild-card spot, it will need many more nights similar to the win over the Marlins. The Yankees' rotation is unrecognizable from what it was supposed to look like on Opening Day. With Nestor Cortes and Carlos Rodon on the OL, the Yankees' lineup must start hitting with consistency.

Friday was a good start. The Yankees knocked Marlins starter Jesus Luzardo out of the fourth inning after he surrendered seven runs.

“A lot of good things happened out there,” said Boone. “It started with swinging the bats off a really good starting pitcher. We were able to hit him hard, and that’s a guy that’s in the middle of another really good season. So that was really good to see.”