‘What a blessing to have him on my team’ – The Denver Post

LOS ANGELES — With the Yankees up, 5-3, and a runner on first in the eighth inning, the Dodgers’ J.D. Martinez ripped a Michael King sinker to right field on Saturday.

The ball looked destined for a hit against the wall at Dodger Stadium, but a racing Aaron Judge tracked it down — and then crashed into the barrier that doubled as the door to the Yankees’ bullpen. Judge stumbled through the gate as it flew open, but he kept control of the ball and prevented momentum from shifting in what became a 6-3 win for the Yankees.

“I thought I had a chance off the bat,” Judge, who also homered, said after the game. “But you never know, especially with a guy like J.D. Martinez, who has such great power to the opposite field. I knew it was going to be close to the wall there, but luckily, we were able to come down with it.”

Max Muncy, the runner on first, moved up an extra base because the Yankees captain left the field of play through no fault of his own. But that proved inconsequential, as King escaped the inning.

Aaron Boone, meanwhile, ran out to make sure Judge came away OK after the collision. The slugger started to tell his manager he felt fine, so Boone replied, “I just wanted to tell you what a great catch that was.”

“I’m feeling good,” Judge said when asked if he way all right. “I think the fence got most it.”

Indeed, a large dent could be seen in the fence.

Saturday was not the first time Judge damaged a stadium this season, nor was it the first time he left his manager or teammates in awe after a spectacular play.

With another great catching coming in such a big spot, here’s a look at how Boone and teammates reacted to Judge literally running through a wall.

FEAR CAME FIRST

“Oh no.”

That was Boone’s first thought when the gate gave way as Judge slammed into it. The skipper watched as his most important player lost his balance, and it became hard not to fret over an accidental injury.

“Your heart skips a beat when the fence goes flying open,” Boone continued.

Others felt the same way, as there is a concrete step between the bullpen and the right field warning track at Dodger Stadium.

“You certainly don’t want him to roll an ankle over that little concrete ledge out there, which is kind of dangerous,” said Gerrit Cole, who watched the catch from a cold tub after cramps forced him to exit after six innings of one-run ball. “But for him to just blow through it, I think it kind of took a little bit of that kinetic energy out of just slamming up against the wall. It’s still very concerning when such a great player has to go so hard into the wall. He’s got a lot of guts.”

Added Jake Bauers, who hit two homers in the game: “I hope he’s okay. That’s a pretty big hit against that fence, and it didn’t look good.”

But Judge wanted nothing to do with his manager or trainers checking on him. Instead, he just wanted the inning to resume as quickly as possible so that King could continue his work without further delay.

“They did their normal check and said, ‘Great catch,’” Judge recalled. “And I said, ‘Alright, let’s beat it guys. We got to finish this inning.’”

BLAME THE WALL

Rather than worry about his own health, Judge took issue with Muncy getting an extra base, a decision that took some time for umpires to make. After all, neither he nor the Yankees were to blame for the gate’s fragility.

“It wasn’t like I tumbled over and went out of play,” Judge said. “The fence broke, so I would have had an issue with that if they had scored. But King did his job and held ‘em down, and we got out of the inning.”

Added Boone: “We’re the visitors. It’s not our fault.”

The manager and Judge believed the door to the bullpen was latched, but neither knew for sure. Perhaps it wasn’t sufficiently secure, but Judge’s 6-7, 282-pound frame also made for a powerful battering ram. As Boone put it, “A lot of force going through there.”

There aren’t many players with Judge’s build and defensive skills, but “hopefully it won’t happen anymore,” he said.

WITNESSING GREATNESS

While Judge, in typical fashion, downplayed the degree of difficulty on the catch, he has conditioned the Yankees to expect the unexpected. That doesn’t stop them from raving about every new electric thing he does, though.

“He’s amazing,” Cole said. “I tell you what, there’s some great players in this series. No doubt. I mean, a couple Hall of Famers on the other side as well. But he’s just on another level.”

Oswaldo Cabrera slightly adjusted that sentiment, insisting, “We know he’s from another planet.”

“That’s what an MVP does,” Cabrera added, while Bauers repeated the word “unbelievable” when asked about Judge. And No. 99 “goes out and does it every day,” Bauers continued.

Boone, meanwhile, expressed gratitude that’s he’s had a chance to watch Judge almost every day since 2018.

“I do try and tell myself every now and then to appreciate what you’re watching,” Boone said. “He’s just in the midst of [being] one of the great players you’ll see, and a unique way that he does it. He does it in so many ways. And he’s the best person. You just appreciate that he’s our leader. You get caught up in the game, but every now and then you appreciate what he does.”

Cole, now in his fourth season of sharing a clubhouse with Judge, couldn’t agree more.

“Gosh, what a blessing,” the pitcher said. “What a blessing to have him on my team.”

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