SEATTLE — This is a Yankees truth:
When Aaron Judge is going well, everything seems better around the team. The mood is brighter. There is more of a sense of ferocity to the lineup. Just a lot more smiles around the ballclub.
There is a special energy Judge brings, everything from the postgame music that plays in the clubhouse from the portable speaker that sits in front of his locker on getaway days to his byplay with teammates.
On Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park Judge became the third-fastest player in major league history to 100 home runs when he sent a first-inning missile to the batter’s eye in center field, a 462-foot shot, for a two-run smash off Yusei Kikuchi that set the pace for the Yankees’ 7–0 win over the Mariners.