With the seventh game of the American League Championship Series scoreless and one out in the bottom of the second inning on Saturday, Houston first baseman Yuli Gurriel hit a fly ball to right field that appeared to be heading over the fence for a home run.
That is, until Aaron Judge, the Yankees’ fielder, leaped and extended his gloved hand over the fence to snare the ball and maintain the tie.
Are you kidding … pic.twitter.com/CdoHDYjU6K
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 22, 2017
The catch was the second by Judge that preserved the postseason for New York. In the third game of the AL Division Series, with Cleveland leading two games to none, Judge robbed Francisco Lindor of a likely home run in the sixth inning of a scoreless game that the Yankees won 1-0.
The skill that Judge shows on defense may not earn him the fandom that comes with hitting 52 home runs during the season – his first in the majors – or four in the postseason. But they underscore that Judge brings to the outfield the powers he shows at the plate.
Judge, 25, stands six feet seven and weights 282 pounds. Together with Greg Bird, a first baseman in his second season with the Yankees, and catcher Gary Sanchez, the runner-up for the Rookie of the Year Award last season, he forms a trio that earned the Yankees the moniker Baby Bombers.
Though youth alone could not propel the Yankees past Houston and into the World Series, the team, which battled from a wild card to Game 7 of the ALCS, exceeded expectations.
Judge likely will be the American League’s Rookie of the Year. He also could be named the league’s most valuable player. Or at least runner-up. Either way, the rookie made the Yankees a delight to follow this season.
In the locker room after Saturday’s game, Judge looked to the future. “We have a lot of young guys on this team,” he told reporters. “Getting as far as we did is going to be beneficial down the road for us, getting the taste and the feeling of this. We’re all excited for next year and what it holds for us.”