TORONTO -- An early contender for baseball¡¯s most heartwarming moment of the season preceded a furious attack from the Yankees¡¯ offense, sparked as Aaron Judge¡¯s sixth-inning home run rocketed toward the second deck at Rogers Centre on Tuesday evening.
The ball rattled around the seating area, retrieved by a fan who magnanimously handed it to a young boy wearing Judge¡¯s No. 99 on his back. Tears were shed in the stands and there was celebration in the dugout for the Yankees, who rallied for their 11th consecutive victory in a 9-1 win over the Blue Jays.
¡°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. I¡¯ve got to check out that video; that¡¯s special.¡±
New York was handcuffed through five innings by a dominant Alek Manoah, who retired 15 consecutive Yankees before Aaron Hicks¡¯ one-out single in the sixth. Hicks was erased attempting to steal second base, but Judge -- down in the count 0-2 -- continued to battle, working Manoah to an eighth pitch that he didn¡¯t miss.
Struck at 114.9 mph, the ball soared 427 feet into the 200 level, where a man wearing a Blue Jays pullover clutched the souvenir and momentarily celebrated, then thought better of it. He eyed a youngster in a Yankees T-shirt and handed over the prize; the pair embraced, tears immediately streaming down the overwhelmed boy¡¯s cheeks.
Judge¡¯s ninth home run of the year tied teammate Anthony Rizzo for the Major League lead, extending a surge that has seen Judge drive in 13 runs over the Bombers¡¯ past five games.
¡°I told you several days ago; we were kind of waiting for him to get going, even though the numbers were still pretty good,¡± manager Aaron Boone said. ¡°There¡¯s no question, he¡¯s usually squaring up a couple really good every night. Tonight was no different. It¡¯s just really good to see him get settled in and being the player he is.¡±
The blast stirred the bats to life in the dugout, as the Yanks rallied for six seventh-inning runs, busting the game open. New York has won 18 of its first 24 games for the seventh time in franchise history, last achieved in 2003.
¡°That was a huge homer. He got all of that one, too,¡± said Jameson Taillon, who allowed one run over six innings in a winning effort. ¡°It definitely lifted everyone up a little bit. I haven¡¯t been here that long, but I feel like it¡¯s always [Judge] in the big situations, always coming through in that spot.¡±
Getting Manoah out of the game was key, allowing New York to expose the Blue Jays¡¯ bullpen. Toronto lost a challenge on a play at first base involving Giancarlo Stanton; that would loom large later in the inning, rendering the Jays unable to counter when Marwin Gonzalez was in a rundown between third base and home plate. Replays showed that first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. tagged Gonzalez¡¯s back.
¡°To be honest, I was just trying to allow the guys to get to third and second,¡± Gonzalez said. ¡°I was able to do something there and score the run, which was nice to keep the line going.¡±
Josh Donaldson, Gonzalez and Jose Trevino all picked up RBIs before Judge¡¯s spot came back around, setting up the star¡¯s two-run double.
Stanton added a two-run homer in the ninth, giving the Yanks a Major League-leading 34 homers -- including 23 over their current winning streak.
¡°It was huge to get into their ¡¯pen and wear them down,¡± Stanton said. ¡°Keep pushing, keep grinding. We work hard every day, so it¡¯s good to see it pay off.¡±
While Judge continues to insist that he is grinding at the plate, pointing to his three-strikeout ¡°hat trick¡± on Tuesday, he may be more locked in than at any point since his 2017 AL Rookie of the Year campaign.
¡°I¡¯m just trying to do what I can,¡± Judge said. ¡°When I¡¯ve got Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton behind me, Aaron Hicks and DJ LeMahieu in front of me, they push you a little bit. They¡¯re always getting on base, always having good at-bats. It motivates the team, motivates me. I see these guys working; I¡¯ve got to go out there and do the same thing.¡±
The clip of the boy and his home run ball was already going viral by the time reporters approached Judge¡¯s locker in the visiting clubhouse; he grinned broadly when informed of the events. For nearly two weeks, he -- and the rest of the Yankees -- have had plenty to smile about.
¡°That¡¯s what it¡¯s going to take when you¡¯re playing 162 against some of the best teams in the game,¡± Judge said.