New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hits 32nd home run of the season in loss to Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds earned a 5-4 victory over the New York Yankees on Tuesday, despite a major league-leading 32nd home run of the season from slugger Aaron Judge.

Two-run homers from 22-year-old Elly De La Cruz and Will Benson in the fifth inning helped open up an unassailable 5-0 lead for the Reds.

Judge’s 32 home runs mean he sits five ahead of Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani in second place.

The 32-year-old is on course to at least match his own American League record of 62 home runs in a season, which he set in 2022, with 87 of 162 games played this season.

Judge’s 14 home runs in May helped him clinch the AL Player of the Month award.

According to MLB, De La Cruz grew up as a Yankees fan and Tuesday’s game was his first time playing at Yankee Stadium, which he attended regularly as a fan.

“Some players are just comfortable in the big spot,” Reds manager David Bell said, per MLB. “It’s not just a certain city or location, but the importance of a game, the importance of an at-bat.

“He’s just comfortable in those spots. He believes in himself. He has confidence playing the game, and he’s just at the beginning.”

The Reds move to 40-45 for the season, second to last in the NL Central, while the Yankees are now second in the AL East at 54-33 but have lost seven of the last 10 games.

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