NEW YORK -- Aaron Judge was mired in a career-long homerless drought, having not cleared the walls in his previous 16 games entering play on Friday. The Yankees’ captain reclaimed his powers at the perfect time.

Judge launched a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning off Red Sox left-hander Cam Booser, rounding the bases for his Major League-leading 52nd homer as the Yankees claimed a 5-4 win in their rivalry contest at Yankee Stadium.

New York move to three games ahead of Baltimore -- which fell, 1-0, to the Tigers -- in the American League East.

Judge had not homered since Aug. 25 against the Rockies, when he belted two and finished the day exceeding his pace from 2022, when Judge set the American League single-season mark with 62.

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Over the 16 games that followed, Judge slashed just .207/.352/.259 (12-for-58) with three doubles and four RBIs. Judge had gone 75 plate appearances without a homer, also a career-most. The Yankees did not panic, believing it was only a matter of time before his stroke locked back in.

That moment came in the seventh, after Zack Kelly opened the inning with two walks and permitted a Gleyber Torres run-scoring single.

Booser walked Juan Soto on four pitches to load the bases and fell behind Judge with two balls before challenging him with a 95.5 mph fastball, which Judge barreled over the left-field wall for a Statcast-projected 369-foot blast.

Judge now has 130 RBIs, one shy of his career high of 131, set during his 2022 American League MVP campaign.