


Aaron Judge sent a message to Shohei Ohtani that he is also a two-way star.
Judge stretched his glove over the center-field wall to truly rob Ohtani of a home-run to straight-away center field in the first inning Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.
He brought the ball back with one hand and then made a juggling barehanded catch before the ball bounced.
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The ball jumped off of Ohtani’s bat at 111.5 miles per hour and traveled 411 feet, and the 6-foot-7 Judge needed every inch of his frame plus a well-timed jump to keep it out of Monument Park.
Ohtani homered Tuesday to lead the Angels to a 5-2 win over the Yankees in the opener of the three-game series at the Stadium.
He is baseball’s most unique player because he is a 40-home run slugger who is also pitching to a 0.85 ERA through four starts this season.
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But Judge, who topped Ohtani in the American League MVP race last season when he hit a record 62 home runs, flashed his own leather to remind Ohtani that he is no slouch in the field.
Judge held up the baseball and let loose a huge smile with his back pressed against the padding.
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Judge also showed off his offensive prowess in the bottom of the first inning, belting a two-run homer to drive in Anthony Volpe, who led off the game with a walk, to give the Yankees an early 2-0 lead.