Yankees' Aaron Judge hits first home run, has 3 RBIs in 11-inning win over Diamondbacks

PHOENIX — Aaron Judge might be OK after all.

A somewhat silly early-season narrative regarding the 2022 American League MVP accompanied the first six games of the regular season as Judge pulled out of the gate slow.

He emphatically put a stop to that Wednesday afternoon, hitting a two-run homer in the fourth inning and adding an RBI double in the 11th to help lead the Yankees to a 6-5 victory over the Diamondbacks that completed a 6-1 trip to start the season.

“With Aaron, it’s just a matter of time,” Aaron Boone said.

Judge, who entered the day 3-for-24, finished 2-for-4 with a walk and three RBIs.

“It’s nice to get one on the board,” Judge said of his first homer, which gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead in the fourth. “Especially in the situation where we’re down one run there. Nice to get that one but I was more excited giving us the lead.”

The Yankees, who were held to four hits in Tuesday’s 7-0 loss, are off Thursday before their home opener Friday afternoon at a chilly but likely lively Yankee Stadium.

They notched three comeback wins in their four-game sweep of the Astros and sweated this one out as well, though they never trailed.

Jon Berti, who started the 11th at second base as the designated runner, snapped a 4-4 tie when Scott McGough balked him in. Judge’s double followed, and that extra run proved important.

Clay Holmes, who struggled at times in Houston despite recording three saves, coughed up the two-run lead that Alex Verdugo’s first homer as a Yankee provided in the top of the 10th and promptly brought the winning run to the plate in the 11th.

Holmes hit leadoff hitter Christian Walker and, after recovering to strike out Eugenio Suarez, Boone brought in lefty Caleb Ferguson to face the lefthanded-hitting Jace Pederson.

Ferguson, acquired from the Dodgers to help offset the loss of Wandy Peralta, struck out Pederson, but Jorge Barrosa dumped a single to center that made it 6-5. The Yankees intentionally walked Gabriel Moreno to load the bases which brought McGough to the plate because Arizona lost its DH earlier in the game and had exhausted its bench. Ferguson struck the pitcher out looking for his sixth career save.

Boone said, had the situation been bases loaded and the Yankees up two, he would have walked in a run so Ferguson would face McGough.

“You add another layer of oddity for the pitcher [Ferguson] but I was absolutely convicted on doing it,” Boone said.

Verdugo, off to a 3-for-21 start entering Wednesday, homered leading off the 10th inning to give the Yankees a 4-2 lead. Much to the delight of the dugout, and the sizeable contingent of Yankees fans among the 35,038, Verdugo took his time making his way around the bases.

“That was a big moment,” Judge said. “He’s been having some great [at bats], just not getting any results as of late. For him to come up big there and really get his swing off and give us the lead, I enjoyed it. I think the fans enjoyed it, we definitely enjoyed it. I love it. The guy’s a gamer.”