New York Yankees star Aaron Judge made some personal history on Friday night when he hit a game-tying home run in the top of the ninth inning off Garrett Crochet of the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.
Trailing 1-0 in that inning, Judge hit a home run on a Crochet fastball at 99.6 mph. According to Sarah Langs of MLB.com, that’s the fastest pitch that Judge has ever homered on. It surpasses the 99.0 mph pitch he homered off two days ago against the Kansas City Royals.
Not only did the home run tie the game, it ended some horrors for Judge against Crochet. He had been 0-for-6 against the burly lefty with six strikeouts this season.
Judge went 1-for-4 on the night, dropping his average to an unreal .390 on the season. He’s trying to become the first player to hit .400 for a season since the great Ted Williams did so in 1941. Judge now has 26 home runs, which ties him for the league-lead with Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners.
The most feared right-handed hitter in the game, Judge is a two-time MVP who is on track for his third this season. He’s a .295 hitter lifetime with 341 home runs. He’s a six-time All-Star.
The Yankees ended up losing game 2-1 in 10 innings to fall to 42-26 on the season. Boston improved to 35-36.
The two teams will play again on Saturday afternoon at 7:15 p.m. ET as Carlos Rodon (NYY) pitches against Hunter Dobbins.
