Aaron Judge belts walk-off HR to give Yankees thrilling comeback win
The plan in the bottom of the ninth was simple, according to Jose Trevino: Get Aaron Judge to the plate.
If the Yankees did that, they’d figure to be in position to at least tie — or win — the game.
As has been the case all year, Judge again did not disappoint.
The outfielder, whose decision to not sign an extension before Opening Day is looking better by the day, delivered a game-winning, three-run homer Tuesday to beat the Blue Jays, 6-5.
It sent the Yankee Stadium crowd into a frenzy and gave the Yankees their 14th win in 16 games on what was a wild night in The Bronx between the AL East foes that figure to be battling all season.
“Just trying to do my job up there,’’ Judge said of the final at-bat. “Try to get a pitch I could drive.”
A hanging slider from Jordan Romano did the trick, as Judge turned on it and sent it into the second deck in left field for his first career walk-off homer.
The rally started off Romano, when Jose Trevino and DJ LeMahieu drew a pair of one-out walks, as the right-hander struggled with his command.
Judge took care of they rest.
“I’m glad it was [Judge] walking up there,’’ said Aaron Boone, who noted the wind had been knocking balls down all night.
“He just said, ‘Forget the wind, I’ll just hit it to the second deck.’ ”
Earlier, the rivalry was ratcheted up a bit, when tempers flared.
After Giancarlo Stanton’s three-run blast broke up Yusei Kikuchi’s no-hit bid in the sixth to tie the game, Josh Donaldson was drilled by Yimi Garcia, leading to Garcia’s ejection, as well as that of Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker.
But when Jonathan Loaisiga went up and in to Bo Bichette an inning later and no punishment was levied, Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo got tossed.
Toronto went ahead again in the eighth when Loaisiga walked Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to start the inning.
Chad Green, who hadn’t pitched since May 2, entered and struck out Teoscar Hernandez, but Lourdes Gurriel Jr. followed with a double to left to drive in Guerrero and put the Blue Jays up by a run. Gurriel scored on an Alejandro Kirk sacrifice fly.
The Yankees’ offense, which had scored just six runs over the previous four games, was silent early on, as Kikuchi at one point retired a dozen in a row.
LeMahieu started the bottom of the sixth with a double and Judge followed with a single.
After an Anthony Rizzo fly out ended Kikuchi’s night, Stanton homered off Garcia into the short porch in right field to tie the game.
Garcia then hit Donaldson with a 94 mph fastball.
Garcia’s ejection was not preceded by a warning after Miguel Castro hit Gurriel to open the top of the sixth.
Things didn’t settle down in the seventh when Loaisiga threw a pitch close to Bichette with one out, leading to Montoyo’s ejection by home-plate umpire Lance Barrett.
Loaisiga got Bichette to ground into an inning-ending double play.
The ending overshadowed an up-and-down outing by Luis Severino, who gave up three runs in the first two innings and his pitch count got up to 65.
After nearly being yanked, Severino settled down and pitched into the fifth — retiring nine in a row at one point.
He even told Boone to stay in the dugout when the manager was contemplating coming to the mound.
“That was a heavyweight game in May,’’ Boone said. “I would say that even if we lost.”
This year, though, that hasn’t often been an issue.
