LOS ANGELES — Promise made. Promise kept.
The Yankees set a record for home runs in a month, hitting three Sunday to increase their August total to 61 and beat Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers 5-1 at Dodger Stadium to take the series, in what could be a preview of the World Series.
Before the game Aaron Judge set the home run tone when he went over to visit with Yankees bullpen catcher Jason Brown’s father, John, and promised, “I’ll get one for you tonight.’’
In the third inning, Judge delivered on that promise, driving a Kershaw curve ball into the pavilion in right-center.
DJ LeMahieu crushed a leadoff home run and Mike Ford, who came in for an injured Didi Gregorius, homered in the sixth and those three solo shots were more than enough for Domingo German, who improved to 17-3.
Judge’s moment with John Brown, a retired school teacher and coach who lives in the area, was posted on social media during the game and became the exclamation point to the night.
Explained Judge: “I missed him when we were in Anaheim, saw him on the field and ran over and wanted to say a quick hello to him and his family and kind of told him I would get one tonight and the wind was blowing right and I was able to do it.’’
The home run was Judge’s third of the series and 16th of the season.
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“It doesn’t happen too often,’’ Judge said of a promised home run.
With these Yankees anything is possible, and Judge wasn’t done calling home runs. Judge later told The Post what he told Ford before Ford’s sixth-inning smash.
“It’s funny. I told him this is going to be just like our Charleston days when we played together in the minors,’’ Judge said. “I batted three and he was four. Mike said, ‘We’ll go double-double.’ I said, ‘I got something better. I’ll hit a single. You hit a homer.’ Right after that he hit the homer. I messed it up, I didn’t single.’’
But Judge, who struck out ahead of Ford’s homer, did call two home runs. “I did,’’ Judge said with a smile.
“I just saw the video,’’ said Jason Brown after the game. “That was great. Aaron came over to my dad, talked a little bit, two of my sisters were there. That’s Aaron Judge. That’s who he is. My parents live pretty close. That was a special moment, thanks Aaron.
“My dad is just really happy for Aaron. My parents don’t travel like they used to, but it’s nice to have him here. He was in a [wheel]chair today, not something he always uses, but to get around in long walks, stairs and stuff. This was a special time.’’
Added Brown with a smile, “I said if it works, we are going to keep it up.’’
Judge was excited to have hit his home run, the 99th for No. 99 in his short career.
“It was a big win,’’ Judge said, “especially against one of the best pitchers in the game and our generation. That’s easily the best team in the National League and this is a big matchup for us. That was a good test. The fans were loving it. We were loving it.’’
As for a World Series matchup, Judge offered: “Yeah, if it lines up that way, it would be great to see them. Anything can happen in the postseason. I would be excited for that opportunity. You could feel the playoff atmosphere in the moment.’’
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The Yankees have won 11 straight against left-handed starters as they continue to mash home runs.
“The Bronx Bombers,’’ Judge said. “I’ve never been on a team before that one through nine can hurt you or even the guys on the bench, like you saw today with Mike Ford.’’
Asked if he is going to promise more homers, Judge smiled and said, “I might have to. I’m going to ask Mr. Brown to come to every single game, that’s a lucky charm. I’ve known him for a couple of years now and he kept telling me ‘I watch every single game’ and I said, ‘You got to keep doing that.’ Just a great guy.
“I just love making connections like that.’’
With fans and with the baseball. Promise kept.