The New York Yankees struggled to get much going in Games 1 and 2 of the ALDS against the Toronto Blue Jays. Down 0-2, with the series coming back to New York, the Yankees needed a win on Tuesday night to avoid a sweep.
Fortunately, Aaron Judge had his signature playoff moment, clubbing a game-tying three-run home run off the left field foul pole to bring the score even after going down 6-1.
ESPN's Jeff Passan wrote a story after the game, and Louis Varland, the pitcher who gave up the home run to Judge, commented on the massive homer. He, like many around the baseball world, was stunned at how impressive a home run Judge hit.
Louis Varland was stunned at Aaron Judge's game-tying homer
"He made a really good pitch look really bad," Varland said.
It was a really good pitch from Varland. He threw a fastball running in on Judge at 100 miles per hour, and Judge just turned on it and hit it 400 feet, tying the game.
Hitting a home run in that moment is impressive enough, but the pitch that Judge hit out is something that Varland can only be impressed by. Not many hitters can do what Judge just did.
For all of the talk this playoffs about Judge not being a postseason hero, or that the Yankees are wasting his prime, this moment from Judge cemented his status as not just one of the most feared hitters in baseball, but that he's also a force to be reckoned with in October.
A pitch that, if Judge didn't swing, would easily be called a ball, he hit a long way to tie the game. Hitting anything that far inside is impressive, but combined with it being a 100 mph fastball that was continuing to run, it's even more impressive.
Just like Varland, the fans in the stadium and at home can all recognize how impressive this homer from Judge was. And if it wasn't impressive enough, as Passan points out, "Before Tuesday, he had never hit a pitch 100 mph or faster for a home run."
So, not only did Judge hit a game-tying home run on the brink of elimination, but he did so on a 100 mph pitch well inside the strike zone, which also happened to be the first pitch he's hit out at 100 mph or faster in his major league career.
Catching up to 100 mph heat is difficult enough, but to do so on a very inside pitch for a three-run home run, it might not be a stretch to call this the best home run of Judge's career.
Varland, who made a great pitch, was stunned by Judge getting around the insider heat. For Game 4, Varland will get a chance for some revenge, as he's starting the game as an opener for the Blue Jays and will face Judge in the bottom of the first as the Yankees look to extend the series at least one more day.
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