Aaron Judge ties Mike Trout in virtual Home Run Derby

Aaron Judge ties Mike Trout in virtual Home Run Derby originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Aaron Judge and Mike Trout are playing their own Home Run Derby in the ongoing New York Yankees vs Los Angeles Angels showdown.

Entering Thursday’s series finale, Trout had the lead with four home runs in the four-game series. But Judge matched the number when he pulled Angels’ Brent Suter for his eighth home run of the season in the first inning. The four-seam fastball landed 410 feet deep into the left field stands after it left Judge’s bat with an exit velocity of 105.1 mph.

Aaron Judge AGAIN!

No. 8 on the season and his 5th in his past 15 at-bats 😱 pic.twitter.com/N5V3IkjFHy

— MLB (@MLB) April 16, 2026

Coming into this game, Judge had previously hit three home runs. In the series opener, he hit two monstrous home runs, followed by another home run in the third game of the series. On the other hand, Trout also hit a couple of home runs in the opener and then followed it up with a homer each in the next two games.

The two are having fun out there as this Yankees vs Angels showdown has turned into a Home Run Derby for these two. With any luck, we might have seen the preview of Home Run Derby that is to follow in four months during the All-Star weekend at the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

More: Yankees’ Aaron Judge didn’t sound too excited to make history in New York against Angels

Aaron Judge and Mike Trout become the new Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris

For the first time since 1962, MLB has witnessed two multiple-time MVPs hitting three home runs or more in the series.

With four home runs each and probably counting as the game is live, Aaron Judge and Mike Trout join Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris in this incredible feat. Mantle hit five home runs and Maris had hit four home runs in that 1962 series between the Yankees and the Kansas City Athletics.

Aaron Judge: 4 HR this series
Mike Trout: 4 HR this series

This is the 2nd series where multiple players who were already multi-time MVPs hit 3+ home runs each, joining:

7/2-4, 1962 NYY/KCA
Mickey Mantle (5)
Roger Maris (4)

1st time as opponents!

h/t @EliasSportshttps://t.co/zNJKkUBrFr

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) April 16, 2026

Let’s hope Judge or Trout could also match the five home runs feat of Mantle in a series.

More MLB news:

Yankees’ Aaron Judge passes Mickey Mantle on all-time franchise record list

Former MLB player calls out Red Sox Garrett Crochet after horrible start against Twins

Mets trade proposal doesn’t fix everything, but it gets them closer to competing again

Mets’ Juan Soto update sounds very promising amid six-game losing skid