For the past few days, all Yankees games have been a must for a very simple reason: Aaron Judge is currently at 60 homers and his next long ball will allow him to equal Roger Maris’ record for the most homers in a season in the American.
And, according to some, the single-season home run record among “clean” players.
But last night, while Judge still had a chance to put his name in the record books, the Yankees also had a chance to confirm their playoff berth as they faced the Red Sox in Game 1. of a series of four.
Judge with history at his fingertips, a playoff spot on the line and a duel against the Red Sox: Do I surprise you by telling you there was playoff energy at Yankee Stadium yesterday ?
That said, it took until the fifth inning to get a first point in the game, when Kyle Higashioka hit a sacrifice ball to bring in Oswaldo Cabrera. However, an end later, Giancarlo Stanton breathed another dose of energy into the stadium with a two-run homer.
So far, Michael Wacha was doing a great job on the mound, but he also had help from his defense. We will come back to it.
The Red Sox’s response came fairly quickly, though. Half an inning later, Triston Casas (solo homer) and Reese McGuire (three-run homer) gave the visitors the lead.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Yankees tied the game with another sacrifice fly, this time from Harrison Bader. And a few minutes later, as Tommy Pham tried to turn his single into a double, he encountered a little unexpected: Aaron Judge’s cannon arm.
That’s a major league stint.
Anyway, at the end of the ninth inning, the score was still tied (4-4) and Judge came up to bat. Obviously, the whole stadium rose and everyone was hoping to see him hit his 61st long ball of the season which would have given the club the victory, qualified the team in the playoffs and which would have been hit against the eternal rivals of Boston.
The tall outfielder got a shot he liked, and he hit the ball straight. At the time, almost everyone was convinced that the Hollywood script had come true…until the ball landed in Kiké Hernandez’s glove at the caution lane in center field.
Judge was feet away from making history, but he will have to wait at least another day.
However, the fans there were still treated to a celebration an inning later, when Josh Donaldson hit a single in the 10th inning that allowed Marwin Gonzalez to cross the plate and give the Yankees the victory by the score. of 5-4.
Just like in the first game of the season, Donaldson ended the game against the Red Sox with a game-winning hit.
In doing so, the Yankees get their ticket to the playoffs for a sixth consecutive year. They become the second team to qualify in the American and the fifth to do so in the Majors.
They still haven’t officially won their division, though, but it’s only a matter of time: they’re now 7.5 games ahead of the Blue Jays and they’re on fire these days. . Really, the return of the many injured and the strong comeback of the big attacking elements have done the club good.
Anyway, Judge may not have put his name in the record books, but at least his team made sure they got their ticket to the true baseball, and clearly, the outfielder won’t mind. Either way, he still has 13 more games to hit long balls.
- An answer worthy of a guy like Aaron Judge.
- Nice distinction for Aaron Boone.
- Big performance for Jameson Taillon. If he continues like this, he could well earn the role of the team’s fourth starter in the playoffs.
- Trey Mancini cheered on his return to Baltimore.
- A winning first hit for Mookie Betts in Los Angeles.
