Ranking the Yankees' Top 5 Moments of the First Half

5.) Aaron Judge sets franchise record for home runs before All-Star break (7/13 @ Orioles)

After a slow start to the campaign in April, Judge is now in the midst of another season for the record books. The captain of the Yankees currently leads MLB with 34 home runs, 85 RBI, a .433 on-base percentage, a .679 slugging percentage and a 1.112 on-base plus slugging (OPS) percentage.

Judge capped off the first half with his 34th homer of the year, launching a solo blast over the center-field wall to go back-to-back with Soto during the club’s 6-1 win against Baltimore. The dinger also set the franchise record for home runs before the All-Star break, surpassing his 33 home runs in 2022 and Roger Maris’s 33 in 1961. 

4.) Soto’s ninth-inning throw on Opening Day (3/28 @ Astros)

Soto’s highly-anticipated debut with the Yankees certainly lived up to the hype. The lefty made an instant impact on both sides of the ball, including a 1-for-3 effort with two walks and an RBI in the batter’s box on Opening Day against the Houston Astros.

Soto’s biggest moment of the game came when the Yankees had a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning, as Kyle Tucker lined a one-out single to right field with runners on first and second base. The right fielder fielded the base hit and fired an excellent throw on one hop to catcher Jose Trevino, who successfully applied the tag on Mauricio Dubón to prevent the tying run from scoring. Clay Holmes proceeded to get the final out, securing New York’s first victory of the season.