New York Yankees: Aaron Judge does more than hit home runs

Even when he struggles at the plate, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge never fails to impact a game with seemingly impossible feats.

His latest eye-opening play couldn’t have come at a better time for the New York Yankees, who had dropped three straight games before yesterday’s 3-2 win against Tampa Bay. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Rays third baseman Evan Longoria hit what seemed like a sure double into the gap in right-center field.

Tampa Bay’s Corey Dickerson thought so to, as he rounded second and headed for third with potential aspirations to score the tying run. It was not to be, however, as Judge’s 6 feet 7 inch, 275-pound frame went flying into the gap for a stunning backhand catch.

Jacoby Ellsbury intelligently told Judge to get the ball in right away, and the Yankees ended up with a double play after Dickerson didn’t even try to get back to first base. That play maintained a one-run lead for the Yankees and ultimately a one-run win just an inning later.

Judge’s incredible power and hitting abilities tend to get in the way of his athleticism in the field. According to FanGraphs, Judge now has saved seven runs due to his play in the field, which is tops among right fielders in the American League. Whether it’s making a difficult catch with the potential to lose the ball in the opaque roof of Tropicana Field or throwing out a runner at third base, Judge is showing that he has as much value in the field as he does at the plate.

He keeps finding ways to help his team win, and on a day where the second through fifth hitters for the Yankees failed to get a hit, Judge was still able to impact the game in what turned out to be a true game-saving catch.

Their win on Sunday allowed the Yankees to save face on their road trip, going 3-3 overall and avoiding losing four straight after beating the Kansas City Royals in the first two games of that series. After the Baltimore Orioles lost on Sunday to the Toronto Blue Jays, 3-1, the Yankees move back into first place with a 0.5 game lead. They now head back to Yankee Stadium for a week-long homestead consisting of four games against the Royals and three against the Oakland Athletics.

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No one knows what the outcome of any of these games will be. However, one can almost bank on the idea that Aaron Judge will have a major impact in every one of them.