NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge hit a fly to right field, briefly watched the ball go over the wall and dropped his bat at first base before starting his trot.
Judge’s long home run drought was over, and there was a celebration waiting for him at the plate.
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New York Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon, left, looks up after tagging Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero at third base to end the eighth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge, right, reacts after hitting a two-run walk-off home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge, right, reacts after hitting a two-run walk-off home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge reacts after hitting a two-run walk-off home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Judge ended a career-high, 11-game slump without an RBI. hitting a two-run homer off Kevin Kelly in the ninth inning that lifted the New York Yankees over the Tampa Bay Rays 2-0 Sunday for their first win in five games this year against their AL East rival.
“That’s just a great swing from him,” manager Aaron Boone said.
Judge hit his first homer and drove in his first runs since going deep in the first inning off Logan Henderson in Milwaukee on May 10. In between homers, Judge had gone 8 for 43 and the Yankees lost seven of 11 games.
“There’s no frustration, I got a job to do,” Judge said. “Obviously I want to get the job done and help the team win and we weren’t winning, so I was mad about that. But no homers, RBIs, you can find other ways to help your team win. So that’s what I was trying to do."
Judge’s 363-foot drive into the wind would have been a home run in just three major league ballparks: Citizens Bank Park and Great American Ball Park are the others. It was his fourth walk-off homer and first since 2022 when he hit three game-ending homers and 62 overall, one more than Roger Maris' previous AL season record.
“It really feels like a matter of time,” Bellinger said. “This game is so difficult. He’s literally one of the best hitters of all-time, so it was just a short little period.”
Judge homered three days after saying “I'm not doing nothing at the plate.” ” to describe a 1-for-24 slide that dropped his average to .246. He ended Friday’s 4-2 loss with a 396-foot flyout to left fielder Chandler Simpson.
In a 1-for-24 slide and hitless in 15 at-bats, he singled in the first inning Sunday before getting doubled off on Ben Rice's flyout.
“He’s been putting good swings on balls,” New York starter Ryan Weathers said. "He’s just been having bad luck lately and that was a pretty impressive homer to get it out in these conditions.”
Judge’s drive moved the Yankees within 4 1/2 games of the Rays in the AL East.
New York left fielder Cody Bellinger made a key defensive play with two outs in the eighth.
With pinch runner Oliver Dunn at second and Junior Caminero at first, Ryan Vilade singled to left. Bellinger made a one-hop throw to get a sliding Caminero at third as Ryan McMahon applied the tag before Dunn crossed the plate.
“I was trying to go to third so there wouldn’t be a play at home, and credit to Cody for going to third base and getting the out,” Caminero said through an interpreter.
It was Bellinger’s third outfield assist this season and his seventh in 175 games in left field.
“I picked my head up and Mac had a huge target at third,” Bellinger said. “I actually threw I thought a pretty nasty sinker to him and he picked it, did a great job of picking it and putting the tag on.”
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
New York Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon, left, looks up after tagging Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero at third base to end the eighth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge, right, reacts after hitting a two-run walk-off home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge, right, reacts after hitting a two-run walk-off home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge reacts after hitting a two-run walk-off home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
PARIS (AP) — Marta Kostyuk’s first-round win at the French Open became one of her toughest matches after she found out beforehand that a missile almost hit her parents' home in Ukraine.
Kostyuk fought back tears after beating Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-2, 6-3 on Court Simonne-Mathieu on the opening day of the clay-court Grand Slam at Roland Garros in western Paris.
“I think it was one of the most difficult matches of my career," the 15th-seeded Kostyuk said. “This morning, 100 meters away from my parents’ house, the missile destroyed the building and it was a very difficult morning for me ... I didn’t know how I would handle it, I’ve been crying part of the morning.”
In the opening night session at Roland Garros, Novak Djokovic beat home player Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 in his record 82nd Grand Slam.
Kostyuk received a message at 8 a.m. and could not stop thinking what could have happened.
“I felt sick,” she said. “If it was 100 meters closer, I probably wouldn’t have a mom and a sister today.”
Her mother, sister and great aunt — were in the house at the time of the strike, she said, among 17 people in total, so her relief was enormous that no one was injured.
“I don’t want to think what I would do if something worse happened, but I knew that this is the day to go out and play,” she said. “It didn’t cross my mind today that I shouldn’t go out, because, you know, at the end of the day, everyone is alive.”
After the match, she thanked fans and received an ovation. Then she explained how she found the emotional and mental resources to play.
“I think it’s important to keep going. My biggest example is Ukrainian people, I woke up in the morning today and,” the 23-year-old Kostyuk said, becoming tearful before repeating and finishing the sentence.
“I looked at all these people who woke up and kept living their life, kept helping people who are in need,” she said. "I knew a lot of Ukrainian flags would be here today and a lot of Ukrainian people would come out, support. My friends from Ukraine came as well.”
She next plays unseeded American Katie Volynets and Kostyuk's countrywoman Elina Svitolina — a recent winner at the Italian Open in Rome — faces Anna Bondar on Monday.
High temperatures of 33 degrees Celsius (91 Fahrenheit) contributed to Frenchman Arthur Gea taking an emergency bathroom break early into his first-round loss to No. 13 Karen Khachanov on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
Spectators folded newspapers in half and fanned themselves to keep cool as players attempted to stay hydrated.
Canadian Gabriel Diallo said the heat was the main reason why he retired against Australian James Duckworth after losing the first set 6-3 and trailing 4-1 in the second.
“That’s mainly what it was," he said. "It was getting worse and worse.”
No. 21 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina also struggled.
“I am coming from Hamburg with 10 degrees (and) it’s 22 degrees more,” the Spaniard said after beating Damir Dzumhur 6-7 (3), 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, 6-3. “I didn’t expect that.”
The opening match on Chatrier saw No. 11 Belinda Bencic beating Sinja Kraus 6-2, 6-3 and 2024 runner-up Alexander Zverev, seeded No. 2, won 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win against Benjamin Bonzi.
Former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu and former French Open runners-up Sloane Stephens and Sofia Kenin all went out.
No. 26 Hailey Baptiste won 6-7 (7), 7-6 (6), 6-2 against 2021 champion Barbora Krejčíková. Baptiste is playing in the women’s doubles alongside American countrywoman Venus Williams. No. 21 Clara Tauson lost while No. 27 Marie Bouzkova and No. 32 Wang Xinyu reached the second round.
In men’s first-round play, No. 23 Tomas Etcheverry lost against Nuno Borges but No. 26 Jakub Mensik and No. 28 João Fonseca advanced.
AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf in Paris contributed to this report.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Alexander Zverev of Germany returns to Benjamin Bonzi of France during their first round men's singles tennis match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine signs autographs after winning against Oksana Selekhmeteva of Spain during their first round women's singles tennis match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine celebrates as she won against Oksana Selekhmeteva of Spain during their first round women's singles tennis match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine celebrates as she won against Oksana Selekhmeteva of Spain during their first round women's singles tennis match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Arthur Gea of France warms up before the first round men's singles tennis match against Karen Khachanov of Russia at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
