Aaron Judge was well aware of Boston Red Sox pitcher Hunter Dobbins saying he'd rather retire than play for the New York Yankees ahead of the teams' head-to-head clash on Sunday Night Baseball.

"I've only heard Ken Griffey Jr. say that, so I was a little surprised," the slugger said after his team's 11-7 loss.

Judge also responded on the diamond by welcoming Dobbins to New York with an opposite-field home run in the first inning.

(Video source: MLB.com)

Dobbins got the last laugh, however, picking up the win after holding New York to three runs across five innings.

"I mean, you can't really say something like that and not expect a passionate fan base like the Yankees to say something," Dobbins said. "If anything, it made the rivalry atmosphere feel a lot more fun. I enjoyed it a lot."

Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez chased Yankees ace Carlos Rodón in the sixth inning with a three-run home run. The lefty had allowed just two earned runs total over his previous four starts.

Jarren Duran tacked on two more runs with a single in the sixth. Abraham Toro, Trevor Story, and Rafael Devers all homered off New York's relievers in the final two innings to put the game out of reach.

Judge hit his second home run of the game in the bottom of the ninth.

The 39-25 Yankees hold an 8.5-game lead over the 32-35 Red Sox in the AL East.