'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Aaron Judge has been scorching hot for the New York Yankees lately. He hit a home run in his fourth straight game against the San Diego Padres, helping them get out to an early lead they wouldn't relinquish. Former Yankees corner outfielder Nick Swisher paid homage on Instagram:
"Stay HOT"
Swisher was part of the Yankees' last World Series win, so he knows a thing or two about hot hitting. He couldn't help but praise Judge as he continued what has amounted to a seriously ridiculous streak of play.
Trending
Judge's last two home runs have come against top-tier pitchers. On Saturday night, he took potential NL Cy Young candidate Dylan Cease deep. On Friday, he left the yard against Yu Darvish.
Aaron Judge's insane hot streak explored
On April 20, Aaron Judge hit rock bottom. The New York Yankees slugger went 0-4 with four strikeouts in a 2-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. He was booed by fans as his batting average dropped to .179. From there, he rebounded in incredible fashion.
Since that date, he is leading all of baseball with an astonishing 253 2RC+. That's 49% better than the next-best player in that span. Kyle Tucker is also red hot with a 204 wRC+, but it pales in comparison to Judge.
Judge also has 3.0 fWAR in that span. That's a full win more than Tucker and 1.4 more than the next-closest player in Minnesota Twins star Max Kepler. Judge has lapped the competition in recent weeks.
He leads the league in these stats since April 21:
- .826 slugging percentage
- .472 on-base percentage
- .478 isolated power
- 14 home runs
- 30 runs scored
- 25.2 offensive rating
- .530 wOBA
To top it all off, he also has a stolen base, 28 RBIs, a .348 batting average, and a 17.9% walk rate. He has been unconscious for a month, putting together an impressive streak even for a player of Judge's caliber.
The Yankees lead the AL East by three games over the Baltimore Orioles, and Judge's resurgence is a big reason why they've been so good this season.
