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NEW YORK -- Aaron Judge is aware of the "MVP" chants. He knows all about the 18 fans wearing robes with his No. 99 on the back and banging gavels in the "Judge's Chambers well" in right field. The hulking right-fielder's response to those things is to merely continue doing the things that prompted chants and a special seating section two months into his first full season.
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Such as when he slugged his first career grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the third inning to lift the New York Yankees to a 9-5 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Sunday.
"I try not to listen to them," Judge said in his attempt to downplay the fan reaction. "I got a job to do."
The Yankees are 13-1 when the 6-foot-7 Judge "does his job" by homering. His 16th home run was his first since last Sunday in Tampa Bay and first since the Yankees added the section near the bleachers behind the right-field seats before Monday's game.
"I try to think about it," Judge said. "It's in my face but I got a job to do and that's all I'm worried about right now."
Manager Joe Girardi is impressed with the fan reaction.
"I think it's great," Girardi said. "The kid's playing well. He has a lot of support. It just means that our right fielder is playing really well, so that's a good thing."
Judge's latest homer came on a 2-1 fastball off Andrew Triggs (5-4) and gave the Yankees a 5-2 lead. The ball traveled an estimated 378 feet over the center-field fence and one of his shorter homers landed a few sections to the left of the "Judge's Chambers".
Judge tied a career high with four RBI and drove in more than one run for the first time since May 3 against Toronto. He said he was "rolling over pitches" in the last two weeks but his average has not dipped under .300 since April 28 and when Sunday ended, Judge held a .321 average while leading the Yankees with 34 RBI and 37 runs this season.
"I think he's a defensive end playing baseball is what I see," Girardi said. "He's the size of an NFL defensive end."
Judge's latest blast helped the Yankees win for the fifth time in seven games heading into 13 straight games against divisional opponents. It also occurred after Oakland right fielder Matt Joyce dropped a fly ball by Matt Holliday and after Starlin Castro struck out with the bases loaded.
"That doesn't even enter my mindset, I got to make better pitches," Triggs said. "I mean my fastball command early on was pretty atrocious. I mean it's obviously accentuated with that home run to Judge but I was missing quite a bit early on with my fastball."
The home run also allowed Michael Pineda (6-2) to settle down after allowing a two-run single to Ryon Healy in the second. Healy was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double, Pineda retired the next nine hitters and his only other miscue was a two-base throwing error that allowed Jed Lowrie to score in the sixth.
By then the Yankees held a 6-3 lead as Aaron Hicks and Chris Carter sandwiched sacrifice flies around Judge's home run. Gary Sanchez added an RBI double when left fielder Khris Davis made a diving play but the ball fell out of his glove in the seventh.
Davis hit his 15th home run to make it 7-5 with one out in the eighth but Brett Gardner hit a bloop two-run double to give the Yankees insurance.
Pineda allowed three runs (two earned) and three hits in six innings. He won for the sixth time in seven decisions and matched his win total from last season.
Triggs (5-4) allowed six runs (one earned) and six hits in six innings.
"Maybe not his best performance that we've seen this year, but if we make plays, its probably a different story," said Oakland manager Bob Melvin, whose team has committed a major league-worst 49 errors and been charged with 35 unearned runs this season.
NOTES: Oakland RHP Kendall Graveman (right shoulder soreness) will be placed on the 10-day disabled list Monday, though this absence is expected to last longer than his first DL stint last month. ... Athletics RHP Daniel Mengden, who underwent foot surgery before the season, will start Monday in Cleveland. ... Yankees LHP Aroldis Chapman (right rotator cuff inflammation) continued his throwing program by making 50 throws from 60 feet. Chapman said after the game he will throw again Monday before taking Tuesday off from throwing.
