You’d be hard-pressed to find a better show in New York than the one Aaron Judge and Juan Soto are putting on in The Bronx right now.
While those on Broadway may run indefinitely, there’s no telling how long this one might go on, and the duo added to their list of awe-inspiring performances in Wednesday’s 8-1 rout of the Guardians.
After leading the Bombers offense all year long, Judge and Soto were at their best against Cleveland, as they drove in all eight Yankee runs in a win that snapped a three-game losing streak and gave the Yankees the best record in the American League.
“We’re constantly pushing each other,’’ Judge said. “We’re lucky to have [Soto] and we’ve got to keep pushing to the end.”
Soto hit a two-run shot in the bottom of the first for his career-high 36th of the season and Judge followed in the third with a two-run homer and then a solo shot in the seventh to increase his MLB-leading total to 47.
He’s on pace for 60 home runs.
Soto’s homer was also his eighth straight hit that went for a home run. He broke the streak in the fourth with a three-run double.
Nestor Cortes made sure he took advantage of the latest offensive explosion from the sluggers, as the lefty backed up his seven shutout innings against the White Sox with another scoreless outing versus a much tougher Cleveland lineup.
He became the first Yankee since Ron Guidry in 1977 to pitch seven shutout innings and not walk a batter in back-to-back starts.
“Good company,’’ Cortes said.
Just as importantly, the lefty provided length after the bullpen was forced to throw nine innings in Tuesday’s 12-inning loss.
Soto got it started against Cleveland left-hander Joey Cantillo, who was making just his fourth career start, filling in for the injured Alex Cobb.
The right fielder followed Gleyber Torres’ leadoff single with a 427-foot blast to give the Yankees a two-run lead in the bottom of the first.
In the third, Soto drew a one-out walk before Judge hit one out to right-center to make it 4-0
And Soto and the Yankees continued to add on in the fourth, this time with two outs.
Alex Verdugo and Oswald Peraza walked and, with two outs, Torres beat out an infield single that Cleveland could have challenged — and maybe won — but didn’t.
Soto, not surprisingly, then made the Guardians pay, as he shot a double down the left field line to clear the bases.
It’s that kind of at-bat that impressed Judge as much as the homers.
“He’s consistent and he uses the whole field,’’ Judge said of Soto. “He treats every at-bat the same, with the same intensity, the same focus.”
The career-high homers, Soto said, was not a goal of his going into the season.
But Soto did say he spent the offseason “grinding, trying to find my [swing] path again.”
Go beyond the box score with the Bombers
Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+.
Thank you
It worked, as Soto is in the midst of his finest season outside of the 2020 year that was shortened by COVID.
Cortes, meanwhile, faced the minimum number of batters until there were two outs in the top of the fifth.
Cleveland’s only run came on a Noel homer off lefty Tim Mayza to open the eighth.
And Cortes’ 104-pitch outing was even more important considering the state of the bullpen, which was forced to throw nine innings in Tuesday’s 12-inning loss after Luis Gil was pulled in the fourth inning.
Cortes used his cutter and four-seam fastball effectively and said he had better feel of his pitches both against Cleveland and Chicago after coming out of his worst stretch of the season.
He’d had a 9.26 ERA in five starts prior to his last start against the White Sox, so Wednesday was another sign Cortes had steadied himself.
“As a starting pitcher, throughout the whole year, you have to tweak and almost reinvent yourself,’’ Cortes said.
Having Judge and Soto driving the offense makes that process easier.
