SEATTLE — As reporters filed into Aaron Boone’s office at T-Mobile Park, the Yankees manager found himself staring at the small TV hanging below the ceiling in the far corner of the room.
Boone watched in amazement as the monitor flashed a replay of Aaron Judge’s eighth-inning home run robbery. The outfielder elevated high above the right field wall and stole a solo shot from the Mariners’ Teoscar Hernandez — a Yankees killer as a Blue Jay — as he crashed into the padding. Judge then revealed the ball by flipping it from his glove to his bare hand — a casual end to a miraculous play.
“Just another catch,” a nonchalant Judge said after the Yankees’ 10-4 win, though he had some fun with Hernandez on social media. “I’m just trying to do my job. When you’re 6-foot-7, I better be able to get up there and get those.”
While Judge downplayed his thievery, one of Boone’s sons texted their father to say that the snare was one of the greatest catches he’s ever seen.
“That’s probably the best home run robbery because he wasn’t able to really get there and camp,” Boone said. “He could gather a little bit, but he was on the move and had to get there. And then to get high over the wall and time it perfect, that’s pretty good.”
Domingo German, who allowed four earned runs over 6.1 innings in his return from a sticky stuff suspension, said that he and others in the trainer’s room began jumping around when Judge revealed the ball.
German added that Judge had “a perfect night,” as the longball leap was far from the captain’s only highlight of the evening.
Judge also crushed two homers and paced the Yankees’ offensive outburst with three RBI. His first dinger ricocheted off the left field foul pole at 116.9 mph, while the second pull shot just cleared the glove of a jumping Jarred Kelenic.
Much like the foul pole, Kelenic got banged up on the play. And unlike Judge, he failed to complete it, though it took No. 99 a second to realize that.
“I didn’t know what happened in that situation,” Judge said. “I didn’t know if he caught it. I didn’t know if it hit off his glove and was on the ground behind him by the wall and I couldn’t see it. So that situation, I just didn’t want to be stuck standing on first base or second base.”
Judge, who entered the game with seven home runs in 16 career games at the stadium formerly known as Safeco Field, has always hit well in Seattle. When asked why, he said, “It’s a beautiful park.”
“They always have a packed stadium,” Judge continued. “Tonight it was loud, it was rowdy for the very first pitch. I just like the big games like that.”
While Judge also doubled in the game, he had some help offensively. Former Mariner Jake Bauers homered while adding two doubles and two RBI, and Willie Calhoun smoked a pair of two-baggers and drove in two while filling in for Anthony Rizzo in the three-hole.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa, playing shortstop for the first time this season, also stayed hot at the plate, making a two-run double part of his two-hit night. Kyle Higashioka also picked up an RBI.
Most of the Yankees’ runs came off Mariners rookie Bryce Miller, who was left to wear the first poor outing of his six-start career. The righty allowed 11 hits, eight earned and three homers in a losing effort.
While it was a mostly positive night for the Yankees, Harrison Bader did leave the game in the third inning with right hamstring tightness after legging out an infield single. He will get an MRI on Tuesday.
While the Yankees awaited an update on their center fielder, they could only marvel at their right fielder, who hasn’t shown signs of slowing down after a record-breaking, award-winning 2022 campaign.
“It’s one of the great individual games you’ll see,” Boone said, adding that Judge has proven to be a Gold Glove-caliber fielder. “What a day. What do you say?”
In Seattle, the crowd said — or chanted — “MVP” after a few of Judge’s big moments. But like the catch, the slugger shrugged off hearing such praise on the opposite coast of which he plays his home games.
“It is what it is,” Judge said. “We got a lot of Yankee fans in the building. They came out and were supporting, so anytime you get that type of support from those people, it’s nice to hear. But they could be booing me tomorrow. We’ll see.”
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