Judge gets 500th extra-base hit, 3rd-fastest Yankee to reach mark behind DiMaggio, Gehrig

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge smiled and perhaps blushed when informed of Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s praise.

“We all tell him every day: `Hey, we want to be you when we grow up,'" Chisholm said after Judge became the third-fastest New York Yankees player to reach 500 extra-base hits with a three-run homer in the first inning of Thursday night's 9-7 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

And the two players who reached the mark in fewer games than Judge? Joe DiMaggio and Lou Gehrig.

“When I’m an old man coming to Old-Timers Day I can look back and we can joke about it and laugh about it,” Judge said.

Coming off his second AL MVP award, Judge fell a triple short of the cycle and is hitting .417 with five homers and 15 RBIs in the first six games this season. He has 320 homers, 175 doubles and five triples in 999 games, and only DiMaggio (853) and Gehrig (869) reached 500 extra-base hits in fewer games among Yankees.

“I feel like he’s still getting there, which is remarkable,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “It's that part of me that takes him for granted a little bit. I just feel like he should get an extra- base hit every time. I kind of say it out loud just to try and remind myself what we’re watching every day.”

Judge lined a 1-1 fastball from Merrill Kelly at 112.1 mph to the opposite field and into the Yankees bullpen for a 3-0 lead. He added a run-scoring single in the fourth inning as the Yankees moved ahead 7-3, hit a 111.3 mph double in the sixth. He also flied out and hit a 109.5 mph groundout.

“I’m like, did you miss that one?” Boone recalled, laughing. “I catch myself having these ridiculous conversations with him sometimes, just because he keeps setting the bar so darn high.”

Judge knows he's in for ribbing when he singles or doubles.

“He gives me a little smirk when I get on base like that,” he said.

Judge also stole his first base of the season, as did Chisholm. Judge swiped 10 last year to Chisholm's 40.

“I told him I was going to catch him in stolen bases this year," Judge said playfully.

“He's starting to steal bags now. It's just getting ridiculous out of him, man,” Chisholm said.

Chisholm and Trent Grisham hit two-run homers off Kelly (1-1), who allowed a career-high nine runs, nine hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings. Chisholm is hitting .292 with four homers and eight RBIs.

“I’m OK compared to him. I’m trying to get to his level right now,” Chisholm said of Judge. “I told him I'm not going to try to fall behind him too far. I got to keep up with him.”

New York had 22 homers on a 4-2 opening homestand, five more than any other team ever hit in its first six games. Even though it was game No. 6, the Yankees felt an urgency after losing the Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Big G said a couple words before the game, just about this was our home turf. We got to go out there and we don’t get swept at home," he said of Giancarlo Stanton. "Guys took that to heart."

Carlos Carrasco (1-0) got his first Yankees win, giving up three runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings. After New York opened a 9-3 lead, Geraldo Perdomo hit a seventh-inning grand slam off Ryan Yarbrough. Luke Weaver got four outs for his first save this season, ending Arizona’s three-game winning streak.

Judge repeatedly refers to last year's World Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. It weighs on him far more than historical accomplishments.

“Especially after last season where we weren’t able to finish the job, guys are motivated to go out and do something special,” he said. “It starts every game you play.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge scores after Jazz Chisholm Jr. homers on a line drive to right field during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge walks through the dugout before the first inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge homers on a fly ball to right center field, his 500th extra base hit, during the first inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge runs to home plate after homering on a fly ball to right center field, his 500th extra base hit, during the first inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge runs to home plate after homering on a fly ball to right center field, his 500th extra base hit, during the first inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge runs to first base after homering on a fly ball to right center field, his 500th extra base hit, during the first inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge celebrates in the dugout after homering on a fly ball to right center field, his 500th extra base hit, during the first inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge runs to home plate after homering on a fly ball to right center field, his 500th extra base hit, during the first inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The New York Knicks might get a trophy. Tyler Kolek's dad might get a car.

The NBA Cup final will have San Antonio against the Knicks on Tuesday night in Las Vegas. The game won't count in the standings, and the stats won't be added to any official totals. But there is a trophy, bragging rights and money at stake.

By making it to the final, the Knicks and Spurs already have secured $212,373 per player from the NBA Cup prize money pool. The losing team on Tuesday gets nothing extra. Players on the winning team get an additional $308,560 — pushing their Cup winnings to $530,933 each. Two-way players get half of what players on standard contracts get.

“It means a lot to some," Kolek said. “Maybe not as much to others, obviously.”

He's in the “some” group.

Kolek, a backup guard for the Knicks, is making $2.2 million this season. In the real world, that's a lot of money. In the NBA world, not so much. Take a look at some other Knicks players' salaries: Karl-Anthony Towns is making $53.1 million this season, OG Anunoby is making $39.6 million, Jalen Brunson is making $34.9 million, Mikal Bridges is making just under $25 million and Josh Hart around $19.5 million.

Those guys — and plenty of the Spurs players, too — are used to seeing checks exceeding $500,000. Kolek surely isn't. But he's earned his shot to win big in Vegas, by being a big reason why the Knicks got to the final.

New York outscored Orlando by 18 points in Kolek's 16 minutes in Saturday's semifinals. When Kolek wasn't on the floor, the Magic outscored the Knicks by six. He finished with four points and four assists; the stats might not seem impressive, but his energy was a huge plus for New York.

“Tyler did a fantastic job today, our young fella, of impacting winning,” Towns said after the game. “And he did that on a big stage. ... One of his finest games as an NBA player was tonight, and it may not show up on the stats sheet, but everybody in our locker room knows how important he was to us.”

Kolek took his NBA Cup quarterfinal bonus from last season, a little over $50,000, and bought his mother a car. This year, he has said it could be his father's turn for a new vehicle. The question is, will the bigger bonus this year lead to a better car for his dad.

Knicks coach Mike Brown — who raves about Kolek's competitive juices and has rewarded him with a bigger role in recent weeks — can't wait to find out.

“I just want to know if his dad’s going to get a better car than his mom or vice versa, because we’ll find out soon which parent he likes more,” Brown said, laughing. “Better be his mom. ... Hey, I’m not causing trouble. I've just got two eyes open. Wait to see what he’s going to do. Just take care of your mom. Just remember that. Take care of your mom.”

It's a nice problem to have, for sure.

“That's a big amount of money for a guy like myself," Kolek said. “It’s not only about the money. We want to win this to hold up the trophy and for the fans.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane (3) passes the ball between New York Knicks' Tyler Kolek (13) and Og Anunoby (8) in the second half of an NBA Cup semifinals basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)

New York Knicks guard Tyler Kolek (13) dribbles the ball during the first half of an NBA Cup semifinals basketball game against the Orlando Magic, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)