“He’s been doing it all the time,” Goldschmidt said. “That’s why he’s probably the best hitter on the planet right now. He’s been doing it for multiple years, too. It’s not just a one-night thing. We’re all almost in awe of him.”

Judge’s two blasts Sunday were part of a 3-for-4 night that lifted his season batting average to a jaw-dropping .396 with a 1.264 OPS. His first homer came in the opening frame — a 436-foot rocket off Boston rookie Hunter Dobbins on the very first pitch he saw. The second came in the ninth off Robert Stock, tying him with Lou Gehrig for third-most multi-homer games in Yankees history (43). Only Babe Ruth (68) and Mickey Mantle (46) have more.

“Any time you get mentioned with those legends, it’s quite an honor,” Judge said postgame. “But it would’ve been sweeter to talk about it after a win.”

Aaron Judge continues to put the Yankees on his back, despite loss to Red Sox

Article Continues BelowJudge’s monster game came with some extra motivation. Prior to the game, ESPN’s Eduardo Pérez told Judge about Dobbins’ headline-grabbing quote from the day before, where the Red Sox rookie said he’d rather retire than sign with the Yankees.

“I’ve only heard Ken Griffey say that, so I was a little surprised,” Judge said. But he didn’t forget. The AL MVP stepped into the box with that comment fresh in his mind and promptly sent Dobbins’ fastball into orbit.

Still, Judge’s individual brilliance couldn’t lift New York to a win. The Yankees’ pitching staff was rocked by five Boston home runs, including a back-breaking three-run shot by former Yankee Carlos Narváez in the sixth inning off Carlos Rodón. It was Narváez’s first career homer — and it came against the team that signed him back in 2015.

Boston’s 27 runs in the series marked their highest total in a three-game set at Yankee Stadium since 2005. Despite DJ LeMahieu’s homer and a late rally attempt, the Yankees couldn’t keep up.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. weighed in on Dobbins’ pregame remarks during ESPN’s broadcast, saying, “I love competitiveness. But to say that, being a rookie, is kind of crazy to me, to say that you’re going to rule out one out of 30 teams to be a professional athlete.”

The Yankees (now 50-27) will regroup as they travel to Kansas City, where Max Fried is set to face off against rookie lefty Noah Cameron. Meanwhile, Aaron Judge continues to lead by example — both at the plate and as the captain of a team looking to get back on track.