Judge's 60th homer sparks five-run ninth, Yanks stun Pirates

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge sent a sinker soaring into the left-field bleachers, another of his no-doubt drives, and circled the bases for the 60th time.

Modest throughout a march into history that now has him level with Babe Ruth, Judge then took a moment far more rare than one of his long balls — a curtain call.

“I really didn't want to do it, especially, we're losing. It's a solo shot,” he said, recalling how his home run leading off the ninth inning only cut the Yankees' deficit to three runs.

Eleven minutes later, Judge and the Yankees felt free to let loose.

Giancarlo Stanton followed Judge's drive with a game-ending grand slam, completing New York's stunning five-run, ninth-inning rally to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-8 on Tuesday night.

“I kind of lost my mind," said Judge, who is one homer shy of matching Roger Maris' American League season record. "That's a signature Giancarlo Stanton 10-foot laser to the outfield. I had a good front-row seat for that one. I think the whole team lost its mind and the stadium errupted.”

Judge homered on a 3-1 pitch from Wil Crowe (5-10) to match Ruth's total from 1927, which stood as the big league record until Maris broke it 34 years later.

Judge is on pace for the AL's first Triple Crown in a decade, leading in home runs, RBIs (128) and batting average (.316).

He dropped his bat near the plate — he never flips — and when he finished his trot, he exchanged a high-five with Anthony Rizzo, a hug with Gleyber Torres and slaps with Josh Donaldson. Judge walked up and down the dugout to receive congratulations and then emerged from the dugout steps and ever so briefly tipped his helmet to fans.

“I kind of joked around with Matt Carpenter earlier in the year, I think he had two