In a thrilling showdown on Wednesday night, Aaron Judge broke out of his homer-less funk, leading the New York Yankees to a nail-biting 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals. This win completed a clean sweep of the three-game series at home.

The tension reached its peak in the seventh inning with the game tied. Judge, whose last home run had been a distant memory after ten long games, made his swing count. He crushed a 1-0 sinker from Royals reliever John Schreiber deep into center field, sending the ball soaring 383 feet and giving the Yankees a crucial one-run lead.

Remarkably, despite this drought, Judge’s latest blast marked his seventh home run of the season, placing him second in the major leagues—only one shy of the current leaders.

On the mound, Fernando Cruz, who was battling for his first career save, faced some late-game drama. After a solid eighth inning, he returned for the ninth with the tying run in scoring position. But thanks to a spectacular diving catch by Cody Bellinger, the Yankees held on for the win.

This game also saw the much-anticipated return of Clarke Schmidt, who made his season debut after recovering from right rotator cuff tendonitis. Although he stumbled early, allowing a run in the first inning, he found his rhythm and struck out 11 consecutive batters at one point. Schmidt ended his outing with respectable stats: 5.2 innings, four hits, three earned runs, two walks, and two strikeouts.

The Yankees initially fell behind, but responded in the third inning with a two-out rally sparked by Judge’s double to left. He was already having a remarkable game, going 3-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored, while extending his hitting streak to five games. He currently leads the league with an impressive .409 batting average and a 1.322 OPS.

At a pivotal moment, Anthony Volpe redeemed himself with a crucial two-RBI double, swinging the game in New York’s favor. The fourth inning showcased even more two-out magic, with Bellinger finally getting on the board with a double that drove in the team’s third run.

As for the game’s standout performer, Aaron Judge took the title of MVP, not only for ending his home run drought but also for delivering the decisive hit when the Yankees needed it most.

Looking ahead, the Yankees prepare for an exciting seven-game road trip, kicking off with a four-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays. The first pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. on Thursday.