Aaron Judge's Postseason Heroics Saves the Day for the Yankees

 

Finally, Aaron Judge has his postseason moment.

With one out in the bottom of the 4th with runners on first and second, Toronto Blue Jays Manager John Schneider went to the bullpen to get fireball throwing right-hander Louis Varland from the bullpen to face Aaron Judge to do what everyone has done in Judge’s career, get him out in the biggest moment.

Except on an 0-2 100 MPH fastball about a foot inside Judge smashed the ball off the very top of the left field foul pole sending the Bronx into catatonic joy. The Yankee Captain finally met the moment and came through. “You could like feel it in your bones. It was awesome” said Yankee reliever Tim Hill.

Judge said “I guess a couple of ghosts out there in Monument Park help kinda keep that fair” about his game tying home run. On the broadcast Fox play-by-play announcer Joe Davis said “for 10 years that ball has sailed wide to the left and just missed the foul pole. This time it hits it.” Finally, it didn’t miss, and as it hit the pole high above the Audi Club in left, the sound that rang out from the foul pole echoed throughout Yankee Stadium charging the Yankees to their biggest comeback win in an elimination game in franchise history.

The Yankee Captain’s impact on this game didn’t end in the 4th inning. In the top of the very next inning following an Ernie Clement double, Judge shut the door on Toronto again making a diving catch in short right field on a sinking line drive off the bat of Anthony Santander to keep the go-ahead run idol at second. Judge said of his great defensive play “I know I just gotta get dirty for it and lay it all out there. In those moments you cannot be afraid you gotta be on offense even though you’re on defense, you gotta attack the ball at all times.” With number 99 making the two biggest plays of the game; it seemed like the Yankees followed their captains lead and attacked the Blue Jays at every point following the 4th inning. From Jazz Chisholm’s go-ahead home run in the bottom of the 5th, Austin Wells being in the middle of every pinstripe rally, to Fernando Cruz, Camilo Doval, Tim Hill, Devin Williams, and David Bednar allowing just three base runners, all hits, covering 19 outs out of the pen. Yankee Manager Aaron Boone called it “just an awesome team win. So many guys playing an important role in some way shape or form. Makes it a lot of fun.”

In a game that didn’t start out how they would have wanted, Vladimir Guerrero Jr homering for the third time in as many games in the first inning, then embodying Pete Rose scoring the 6th Blue Jay run in the top of the third, and making key defensive plays early that kept the Yankees off the scoreboard—he looked like the best player in this series. It looked like the Toronto superstar would be the guy who lifts his team to the Championship Series.

For the Yankees as Guerrero crossed home plate it looked like their worst nightmare at the worst possible time. Carlos Rodon didn’t have his best stuff, the Yankees shotty defense showed up again in the form of Jazz Chisholm not knowing Ernie Clement was motoring around third trying to score, and down 6-1 going into the bottom of the third inning the season felt like it was over.  Then something flipped. This ballclub with their backs firmly up against the wall didn’t flinch and punched Toronto back. The top of the order finally came alive. Outside of Judge, Trent Grisham, Cody Bellinger, Ben Rice, and Giancarlo Stanton were a combined 6-32 with 12 strike outs over the first two games in Toronto. Not in Game 4.

Grisham led off the 3rd with a double, scored on Judge’s double, Bellinger singled, then Rice reached on a fielder’s choice, which Judge got caught off third base, but even when Judge made a “mistake” last night, it turned out to be productive. The contact play was on with Judge on third and when Rice grounded sharply to Guerrero at first and he was dead to rights. But the Yankee Captain stayed in a rundown long enough for both Bellinger and Rice to move up 90 feet and get into scoring position for Stanton. The Bombers Designated Hitter picked up Judge with a long sac-fly to center to cut the score in half and give the Yankees a chance. What that part of the lineup also accomplished was rising Shane Bieber’s pitch count to the point where John Schneider had to go to the bullpen earlier than anticipated.

The Blue Jays are throwing a bullpen game in Game 4 and the fact that Toronto has had to use 13 pitchers out of the pen in Games 2 and 3 is crucial for the rest of the series. The Yankees in another elimination game tonight have seen every single guy on Toronto’s pitching staff. The key to winning Game 3 for the Yankees was, yes was Aaron Judge drawing the game even in the 4th inning, but it also was pushing the issue on the Blue Jay bullpen knowing Schneider couldn’t overextend any single reliever because he will need them to cover innings in Game 4.

“It’s a game, you have to go out there and play” exclaimed the Yankee Captain about his approach to hitting the pitch thrown by Louis Varland, but it also applies to the rest of the series. If Judge and the Yankees want last night to be the moment everything changed and the championship aspirations of this group to be realized, Game 4 needs to be a game won by the home team and the series extend back to Toronto. Then, they will have to meet that challenge as well. The home run to get the monkey off his back, which in a rare showing of emotion, Judge showcased in the dugout following his clutch blast, is one thing. Using it to catapult the Yankees onto a title run is a completely different thing. But for a night, finally, the gavel finally dropped for The Judge.