Aaron Judge Goes ‘Yard’ as Yankees Whip Bluejays 9-1
In the top of the sixth inning during Tuesday’s clash between AL East rivals Toronto and New York, Aaron Judge stepped up to the plate. It was a packed house in Toronto, with as many people wearing Judge’s navy number 99 as there were in hometown Bluejays gear. On the scoreboard for the Yankees so far, a big fat zero. But with bats like Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Anthony Rizzo patrolling the dugout, all that could change in a heartbeat.
Against a full count with two outs already on the board, the 6’7” right fielder stood tall in the box waiting for Toronto pitcher Alek Manoah’s pay off pitch and when the ball left Manoah’s hand, a hush fell over the crowd as it flew towards the dish. The silence was shattered by the crack of a wooden bat as Judge absolutely uncorked one to the second deck of the Rogers Centre. The homer was Judge’s ninth of the season, tying him for the league lead with teammate Rizzo. And while the rocket was a game changing moment, tying the score at one run each before igniting the Yankees to a 9-1 victory, what happened after might just be the baseball moment of the year.
When a Toronto fan caught the ball that Judge tattooed at 114.9 mph on exit, he immediately turned and handed it to a young Yankee fan, with a navy blue 99 on his jersey. The two shared an emotional embrace before settling back in to watch New York step over the Bluejays for their eleventh straight win.
That’s the kind of player that Aaron Judge is. That’s the kind of team this Yankee’s squad is. Inspiring. They’re a team worth believing in. That’s not to say the Yankees have ever been a bad franchise by any stretch of the imagination, but there is often an inauthenticity about their “best players that money can buy” rosters. Not with this group though, there’s a feeling of unity and support in the clubhouse where there used to often be feuds and enough drama for their own soap opera. They are a team that New Yorkers really feel belongs to them.
Aaron Judge, the face of the franchise and all-around good guy, has had more than a little to do with that transition. When he learned of the exchange between the fans, Judge said “That’s what’s special about this game,” said Judge, who heard about the clip at his clubhouse locker. “It doesn’t matter what jersey you wear. Everybody’s a fan; everybody appreciates this game. That’s pretty cool”. Yankee fan or not, how can you not root for this guy?
The All-MLB first teamer is hitting his stride as a professional, coming off a 2021 season that saw him win the Silver Slugger Award and hit 39 home runs. On top of his league leading nine homers this year, Judge is also mailing in an outlandish 1.035 OPS, sixth best in the majors (with more plate appearances than any player with a higher mark). It’s safe to say that New York fans are in good hands with AJ in the dugout. Noting the addition of Rizzo at first base, the Yankee batting order is looking as powerful as it has in a while.
Manager Aaron Boone has this Yankee team firing on all cylinders and moving as one very scary looking unit. Judge and his fellow Bombers aren’t just getting it done at the plate, though. New York boasts one of the league’s best pitching units, led by ace Gerrit Cole and bolstered by a bullpen that didn’t allow a run for 17 consecutive innings in a stretch between late April and early May.
The Yankees, who lay claim to the MLB’s best record at 18-6, are on cruise control as they mow down their opponents early on. If this hot start is any indication, the storied New York club may just find themselves in the World Series for the first time in over a decade. The Bronx Bombers will continue their away series against Toronto on Wednesday night before heading home to Yankee Stadium to take on the Texas Rangers this weekend.
