The only knock against Aaron Judge over his nine-season big-league career is he has never carried the New York Yankees in October.
Consider that narrative officially dead, and thanks the Judge, New York is still alive.
Judge went 3 for 4 with three runs scored and four RBIs, including a dramatic game-tying, three-run fourth-inning home run that helped the Yankees turn a five-run deficit into a 9-6 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Yankees cut the Blue Jays‘ advantage to 2-1 in the best-of-5 series. They will try to even the series in Game 4 on Wednesday at 7:08 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium.
Aaron Judge Finally Authored His Playoff Moment
Critics have been right to point out Judge’s struggles in Octobers past. Entering this postseason, Judge was slashing an extremely un-Judgean .206/.318/.450 with just 16 home runs and 86 strikeouts in 262 plate appearances
Plus in his lone World Series appearance, he hit .222 and committed a memorable error in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series that opened the door for the Los Angeles Dodgers rally and win the title in the Bronx.
So facing elimination, the Yankees went behind 6-1 after Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s two-run, first-inning homer off Carlos Rodon then a four-run top of the third inning that knocked the Yankees co-ace out of the game.
But Judge helped the Yankees claw back. He first cut the Game 3 deficit to four with an RBI double in the bottom of the third inning. Then after the Yanks pulled within 6-3, Judge came to the plate as the game-tying run with one out in the fourth.
He fouled off the first pitch then swung through a 100 mph fastball from reliever Louis Varland, setting up an 0-2 pitch.
“I fouled off a slider, swung through a heater. I tried not to think too much,” Judge told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports after the game of what he was thinking before the 0-2 pitch. “I’ve done all my homework. I know what they’re gonna try to do. Just try to have some fun, put a good swing on the ball and see what happens.”
Judge launched a fly ball down the left-field line that looked destined to harmlessly land foul. Instead, it caromed off the foul pole for a game-tying homer — that went 373 feet and became Judge’s signature postseason moment to this point, which he said awoke the famous paranormal activity at Yankee Stadium.
“I never had [a home run] like that, right off the foul pole,” Judge said. “Thankfully the ghosts kind of took that one over and kept it fair for us. That was a nice one.”
Aaron Judge Has Carried The Yankees This Postseason
The Judge naysayers have been silenced to this point in October, since Judge looks super-locked in.
Even though Tuesday was his first home run of the postseason, Judge is hitting .500 through six games and has an OPS of 1.304 through 26 plate appearances.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider, who had walked Judge with the bases empty during their head-to-head games in Toronto during the regular season, went back to that practice in the eighth inning and may need to start doing so again.
Judge also is saving his best for elimination games, since he is 5 for 11 five RBIs in games where New York’s season could end — the Yanks are 3-0 while facing elimination already this year.
“We’ve been facing elimination all season long,” Judge said. “There’s no panic in this team, especially in the first inning … the boys stayed locked in.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Aaron Judge Seizes Postseason Moment, Helps Yankees Stay Alive In ALDS Game 3 appeared first on Heavy Sports.