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Aaron Judge Lost What Looked Like Clear HR Partly Because of Rays' Temporary Stadium

Tim Capurso|
This sure looked like it should have been a home run for Aaron Judge.
This sure looked like it should have been a home run for Aaron Judge. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

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New York YankeesTampa Bay Rays

Aaron Judge may have gotten robbed of a home run during the New York Yankees ' 4-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. But it wasn't because of a Rays fielder.

Partly due to an apparent missed call on the part of the umpiring crew, as well as certain limitations in the Rays' temporary stadium—ironically enough, the Yankees' spring ballpark, George M. Steinbrenner Field—Judge's seeming home run was ruled a foul ball.

In the top of the eighth inning, Judge sent a drive to deep left field, a ball the umpiring crew ruled foul. The umpires then decided to review the call, which was upheld.

One replay angle from the Yes Network broadcast appeared to show the ball traveling well to the right of the foul pole at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

Other angles seemed to indicate the opposite: that the ball was clearly foul.

Only serving to complicate matters further is the fact that the foul pole is much higher in all MLB ballparks than the ones at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Perhaps that fooled the umpires? Or maybe they got the call right?

Either way, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was still frustrated about the ruling when Judge was called out on strikes moments later. An irate Boone gave home-plate umpire Adam Beck a piece of his mind, presumably about the called strike and controversial home run call, before he was ejected.

It will be interesting to see what the Yankees have to say about this moment in postgame interviews.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer for Sports Illustrated, primarily covering MLB, college football and college basketball. Before joining SI in November 2023, Capurso worked at RotoBaller and ClutchPoints and is a graduate of Assumption University. When he's not working, he can be found at the gym, reading a book or enjoying a good hike. A resident of New York, Capurso openly wonders if the Giants will ever be a winning football team again.

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