Aaron Judge blasts another home run to keep up historic pace as Gerrit Cole leads Yankees’ one-hitter

On an afternoon a few costars joined the show, the Aaron Judge spectacle rolled on.

Gerrit Cole was excellent and led a staff that held Cleveland to one hit.

Giancarlo Stanton blasted a three-run bomb.

But everything in the Yankees universe revolves around a slugger who is authoring another one of the greatest seasons in baseball history.

Judge cracked open the scoring with his 48th home run of the year, which became the only run the Yankees needed in a 6-0 win over the Guardians in front of 38,105 in The Bronx on Thursday.

The Yankees (75-53) won the series and a 15th game in their past 23 behind their ace, Cole throwing six scoreless innings while allowing just the one hit and walking five in his fourth encouraging outing in a row.

Their offense only managed six hits, the biggest run-producing swing coming from Stanton, who extended his arms to get ahold of a Nick Sandlin slider that was off the plate and muscled it 417 feet to center in a four-run fifth inning.

There were several positive signs around the club, but most positive was the lack of a sign that Judge’s assault on the record books is relenting.

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Through 128 Yankees games two years ago, Judge totaled 49 home runs.

He is one shy of that pace, a pace that extrapolated would amount to 61 home runs.

“I guess we’re on the on-pace portion of the season,” manager Aaron Boone said of Judge, who has four homers in his past three games. “Anything’s possible with him. I think he just wants to be great every day and help us win.”

There is hot, there is sweltering, and there is the kind of melt-at-the-touch searing that Judge’s bat has become.

The superstar has launched six dingers in his past seven games and seven in his past 10. He extended a season-best 10-game hitting streak during which he is 17-for-37 (.460) with seven walks, four doubles and 13 RBIs.

Over his past 99 games, he is hitting .379 with 44 home runs, the first player in MLB history to bat at least .375 with at least 44 homers in 99 games over one season.

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“It seems like another level [from 2022],” said Stanton, whose fifth-inning shot essentially ended the game. “That’s what the best in the world does, make it look easy.”

Two players in MLB history have hit at least 60 home runs in multiple seasons: Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa.

Zero players without PED ties have done what Judge is threatening to do.

“If it comes with a ring and a lot of fun in the playoffs, definitely that’d be cool,” Judge said of the possibility of hitting 60 again. “But … I’m just trying to do whatever I can each day to put ourselves in good position to win a ball game, especially these games against Cleveland, who we’ll definitely see down the road.”

If the home runs are historic, the all-around game is startling. On the season — one that included a poor April — he is hitting .334 with a .465 on-base percentage.

Those numbers were .297 and .398, respectively, in 2022.

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“When you look around the league and see guys with high batting averages — .330, .340, .350 — there’s a fair amount of bunt hits and infield hits,” said Cole, who allowed a leadoff single to Steven Kwan and then pitched around five free passes. “This guy’s sitting at .330, and I’m not quite sure he’s got an infield hit all year. They’re all doubles and homers. There’s no one that can compare to him, certainly not walking around right now, outside of [Barry] Bonds.

“What a wonderful experience to have him on my team.”

Opposing teams can try to pitch to Judge, as the Guardians did with one out and the bases empty in a scoreless fourth.

A 2-1 changeup from Gavin Williams got too much of the plate and Judge drilled an opposite-field shot that cleared the short porch.

Or opposing teams can try to pitch around him, as the Guardians did with runners on the corners and one out in the fifth.

Sandlin threw two balls to Judge before formally intentionally walking him to load the bases.

Austin Wells followed with a well-hit sacrifice fly before Stanton flung his arms out for his 21st swat of the season.

If it had not already, Judge’s 60-homer (62-homer?) chase has begun.

“Nothing would surprise me,” Boone said of No. 99.

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