Inside The Pinstripes

WATCH: Aaron Judge Smashes First Home Run of Spring Training

Watch as New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge smashes his first home run of spring training, a two-run blast off Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Matt Moore
Max Goodman|
WATCH: Aaron Judge Smashes First Home Run of Spring Training
WATCH: Aaron Judge Smashes First Home Run of Spring Training

CLEARWATER, Fla. — It took almost an entire month of spring training games, but Aaron Judge finally has his first home run of the spring. 

He got every bit of this long ball, too.

The slugger turned on a 1-2 heater on the inside corner from Phillies left-hander Matt Moore in his first at-bat on Thursday evening, sending a no-doubter to left field. It came down somewhere outside BayCare Ballpark, clearing the concourse.

The blast traveled 440 feet with an exit velocity of 110.1 mph, per Statcast. That's one of the longest big flies we've seen from anyone all spring long.

Here's another look at the two-run shot, giving the Yankees an early lead.

After the home run, Judge's batting average on the season jumped up to .257 (9-for-35). He's hit two doubles and has three walks as well. His numbers would be even better if he hadn't been robbed on hard-hit line drives on multiple occasions this spring.  

Judge was asked a few days ago about his power and if he was paying attention to the number in the homer column during Grapefruit League play. 

"The power is gonna be there," Judge said. "That's a strength of mine, so I like to kind of work on other things that aren't really a strength of mine and try to build them up and I'm just trying to be the best overall well-rounded baseball player I can be. The power is not really a concern of mine."

Aaron Judge Isn't Concerned One Bit About His Power Entering the Regular Season

Sounds like he can turn on that power switch whenever he wants. Thursday was a taste of what New York will get out of their slugger during the regular season if he can stay healthy.

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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