NEW YORK – In the middle of the celebration, Gleyber Torres was in hell. Judge Aaron finally hit his first home run of the postseason, a huge hit that cleared the center field wall. But as the ball cut through the darkness of the night, Torres did something peculiar as he emerged from first base. He marked it.
When the ball finally went out, Yankee Stadium erupted as it gave the New York Yankees a four-run breathing space in what became a 6-3 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday in the second game of the best-of-seven American League championship series. The Yankees were just two wins away from winning their first World Series title since 2009.
But the Judge was still surprised, even hours later. He nearly passed Torres by rounding first base on a two-run shot in the seventh inning. Did Torres really doubt that the Bludger Judge… MLB – Top 58 home runs in the regular season – did his 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame put enough into the swing to get the ball out of bounds?
“He also did it earlier this year when I had (home run) success,” Judge said with a smile. “So I was pretty pissed off at the time. I was pretty pissed off again.
Inside the dugout, Torres' teammates let him hear it.
“I'm a little disappointed in Gleyber that he didn't recognize Judge's pitch there,” first baseman Antoni Rizzo said. “We teased him a lot about it.”
“I feel a little embarrassed,” Torres admitted.
There is rarely time for laughter in the playoffs, and each shot is more important than the next. The umpire's home run let the Yankees exhale – for so many reasons.
But mostly because it showed Judge how important it was to him to be the driving force that would carry them the rest of the way to the World Series.
“It's always a matter of timing with Aaron,” manager Aaron Boone said.
The prevailing thought was that if the Yankees were to play into October, Judge would need the continued production that would surely win him his second AL Most Valuable Player Award.
Until Tuesday, this had never happened. He struggled offensively, hitting .133 (2-of-15) in the first five playoff games, although he drew six walks. He continued on the theme of not being challenged in the postseason, which was a major blot on his otherwise stellar career.
But the judge can change that.
In his first at-bat, he picked up a 100-mph popup that seemed to scream toward the ground even faster, and Cleveland shortstop Brayan Rocchio dropped the ball, allowing Torres to score from third base to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the first. Then, in the second inning, the Rangers, surprised by Juan Soto's intentional walk, loaded the bases for the umpire against starting pitcher Tanner Bibe. The referee made a sacrifice fly to center field to bring Rizzo home for a 3-0 tie.
After flying out in the fifth, Judge hit his first homer of the playoffs, which took the pressure off the Yankees and allowed the bullpen to work with a significant advantage.
And that lifted the spirits of the Yankees, who were desperate for their captain to join the team.
“It's very easy to root for him,” Rizzo said. “In these games, it really doesn't matter who it is (or) how excited we are about all the players. But when Aaron does something, it's special just because he's a special person.”
The judge said the expectations placed on him did not burden him.
“Just don't make a big deal out of any moment, man,” he said. “It's still the same game we play all our lives. So I try to treat it.”
Only now it's different. Judge has already been to the ALCS three times – in 2017, 2019 and 2022. The Yankees lost in all three. He knows the stakes are higher than ever, especially since he has never led twice in a championship series after entering it as a top seed.
Judge has already placed himself in the pantheon of the most talented and productive Yankees of all time. He already has one MVP award to his name. In 2022, he set the AL single-season home run record with 62. He is the team's 16th official captain, Rookie of the Year winner and six-time All-Star.
But he's not a World Series champion. It matters.
The only thing Aaron Judge lacks as a Yankee is a World Series championship. (Photo: Elsa/Getty Images)
“It doesn't matter what you do in a 162-game schedule,” Yankees great Derek Jeter said at the Old-Timer's Day event in August. “It all comes down to the World Series. Win the championship or it will be a failure.”
The Yankees will have Wednesday off and use the day for light training before flying to Cleveland for Thursday's Game 5. Progressive Field has not been kind to the umpire throughout his career. In 20 games, he hit just .214 (15-for-70) and two home runs.
The silver lining? The Guardians are expected to start left-hander Mateusz Boyd in Game 3, and in 11 career plate appearances against him, Judge has recorded a home run, two total hits and five walks.
“I've lost a lot of postseason games, and these are tough,” Judge said. “I've been on the other side of some good wins. All that matters is that we went there, took care of things and we have to move on to the next one.
As for homers, Judge has to hit another one, and then another one. It's time for him to be the driving force that puts away the ALCS and gets the Yankees to the World Series.
(Top photo of Umpire rounding the bases: Luke Hales/Getty Images)
