Aaron Judge’s at-bats are quickly becoming must-see TV.
You never know when you’re going to see his next moonshot – and you absolutely don’t want to miss it.
Good thing the Yankees named him their starting right fielder out of spring training.
In the fifth inning of the Yankees’ 9-1 victory over the White Sox on Wednesday night, Judge blasted a towering 448-foot homer into the left-center field bleachers with an exit-velocity of 115.5 mph.
It was his latest “WOW moment” in his first full season in pinstripes, prompting several #AllRise hashtags from his adoring fans on Twitter and a raucous reaction from his teammates on the bench. Chase Headley stood with arms outstretched and a look of disbelief on his face while Starlin Castro, Brett Gardner and Austin Romine nearly fell over one another in celebration.
“You don’t see balls go up there every day. It was pretty impressive,” Joe Girardi said after his team finished up an 8-1 homestand. “We’ve seen him do it quite a bit in batting practice. I question the distance that they measured that in. But he’s swinging a great bat. I mean, he’s powerful.”
“He hit that one to the moon,” Headley said.
Matt Holliday, who has served as a mentor of sorts for the 24-year-old Judge, had blasted a 459-foot homer on Monday night, though it did appear Judge’s may have traveled further.
Maybe he broke Statcast’s home run tracker.
“Holliday and I were talking about it a little bit,” Judge said. “He said his was at (459). I was like, that’s pretty deep. I don’t know if I got all that. But I thought I had him tonight, maybe.”
Sounds like Judge needs a re-measurement.
“That’s something I need to ask for,” he said, jokingly.
Through the first 15 games of the season, Judge leads the Yankees in both homers (five) and RBI (12). Who saw that coming?
Not with Gary Sanchez (injured) and Greg Bird (5-for-37) on the roster. And not when no one was even sure Judge was going to beat out Aaron Hicks (four homers) for the starting job.
“He’s really relaxed,” Girardi said of Judge. “I think he pressed probably a little bit in spring training. He had to make some adjustments, he made them and he looks like a different player since about the last week of the spring. He’s in a good place right now.”
Judge had struck out 42 times in 84 at-bats last season, leading many to wonder whether he could make the transition to the majors. But he worked with hitting coach Alan Cockrell during the offseason, fine-tuning his leg kick and making sure he got into his back hip.
He posted a .975 OPS during the spring and has cut down his K’s during the regular season (15 in 47 ABs).
Judge stands 6-7 and looks more like a Pro Bowl defensive end than a baseball player. He wears No. 99 – which he was assigned by the team in his first big-league spring training back in 2015 – and hears “You’re not Gretzky” chants from opposing fans in the bleachers.
Judge played baseball, basketball and football growing up before becoming a one-sport athlete when Fresno State offered him a baseball scholarship. The Yankees made him their first-round pick (No. 32 overall) in 2013. His time in the minors was filled with ups and downs, but he was always able to adjust.
Now, he’s gone from the California country to playing in New York City, where he takes taxis to the ballpark and gets recognized in the street.
“It’s been cool so far. There’s a lot of people. It’s busy, I like it,” Judge said.
He’s even started to get into playing the piano, something he used to mess around with at his grandma’s house as a kid. He should be able to get more practice after the season, but there’s still work to be done on the field.
So Aaron Judge, do you feel famous yet?
“Not at all,” he replied. “It’s been 15 games. I wouldn’t say I’m famous at all.”
But as long as he keeps launching moonshots, that’s about to change — quicker than he can hit one out of the ballpark.