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Try it freeBOSTON — Seven straight times, Aaron Judge faced Garrett Crochet prior to his ninth-inning at-bat against the Boston lefty, and Judge struck out.
It was the second time in his career one pitcher has gotten Judge that many at-bats in a row, with Zach Eflin doing it before, according to Elias.
But in the top of the ninth Friday night at Fenway Park, Judge again showed why he’s the best hitter in the sport right now, as he battled Crochet to a full count, then turned on a 100 mph four-seamer and crushed it high over the Green Monster.
Judge’s 26th homer of the season, which came off Crochet’s fastest pitch of the night, gave the Yankees their first run and tied the game before they ended up falling in 10 innings, 2-1, but it provided a glimpse into what is certain to be a must-watch matchup between the outfielder and the left-hander for years to come.
“He’s an incredible pitcher,” Judge said. “That’s why they traded for him. He works both sides of the plate [and] has overpowering stuff. I was trying to get on base to start a rally, and I was happy to tie it.”
“It’s two great players going at it,” Aaron Boone said. “Crochet has that kind of stuff that can punch your ticket. And we’re talking about the best player in the world. He saw a lot of pitches on the night, and as that at-bat is unfolding, I felt he was getting a good bead on him.”
Judge said he simply made some adjustments against Crochet in that final at-bat.
“What I was trying to do wasn’t working,” Judge said.
That extended beyond Friday, since Crochet fanned Judge in all three of Judge’s at-bats last Saturday in The Bronx.
Judge entered Friday 1-for-5 with four strikeouts versus Crochet, with the lone hit coming in 2021.
And on Friday, Judge struck out swinging to end the top of the first, looking to lead off the top of the fourth and swinging for the second out in the sixth.
The sixth-inning battle ended with Crochet’s fastest two pitches of the season prior to their matchup in the ninth.
Crochet went to the mound in the ninth, looking for the first complete game of his career, and after he got Ben Rice on a groundout to second, Judge battled him until they got to a full count.
The blast ended Crochet’s night, as Aroldis Chapman entered to get the final two outs of the inning, before the Yankees lost in the 10th.
The teams don’t meet again until August after this series, so the pair of stars won’t face off against each other for a few months, but it will be worth watching.