Whatever the postseason narrative about Aaron Judge might have been, he’s officially flipped it.
The surefire American League MVP — who entered the game 3-of-18 this October — brought his team back from the dead with game-tying, two-out, two-run homer off of All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase. The tie only lasted seven pitches, as Giancarlo Stanton homered in the very next at-bat to put New York up 4-3.
The Guardians were cruising with their best bullpen in baseball, with Hunter Gaddis having retired the first two batters in the eighth, before walking Juan Soto on four pitches.
Clasé had an 0.61 ERA in the regular season, but has a 9.53 ERA in the playoffs. He allowed just five earned runs all regular season, and has allowed six earned runs in the playoffs. Three of which came in the eighth inning on Thursday.
The Yankees lead the series 2-0, and were staring down the possibility of a far more competitive series, if Cleveland was able to hang on. These back-to-back homers complicate things for the Guardians.
(Photo of Judge rounding the bases: AP Photo / Godofredo Vásquez)
