BOSTON — Seven straight times, Aaron Judge faced Garrett Crochet prior to his ninth-inning at-bat against the Boston lefty, and Judge struck out.
It was the second time in his career one pitcher has gotten Judge that many at-bats in a row, with Zach Eflin doing it before, according to Elias.
Yet in the ninth inning at Fenway Park on Friday night, Judge once again demonstrated why he’s currently the top hitter in the sport. He faced off against Crochet, pushed the count to full, then launched a 100 mph four-seamer high over the Green Monster.
Judge’s 26th home run of the season came from Crochet’s fastest pitch that night. It provided the Yankees’ first run, tying the game before ultimately losing 2-1 in 10 innings. This at-bat highlighted what promises to be a riveting matchup between the outfielder and the left-handed pitcher for years to come.
“He’s an incredible pitcher,” Judge remarked. “That’s why they acquired him. He commands both sides of the plate and has dominating stuff. I aimed to get on base to spark a rally, so tying the game was satisfying.”
“It’s two great players going at it,” Aaron Boone said. “Crochet has that kind of stuff that can punch your ticket. And we’re talking about the best player in the world. He saw a lot of pitches on the night, and as that at-bat is unfolding, I felt he was getting a good bead on him.”
Judge said he simply made some adjustments against Crochet in that final at-bat.
“What I was trying to do wasn’t working,” Judge said.
That extended beyond Friday, since Crochet fanned Judge in all three of Judge’s at-bats last Saturday in The Bronx.
Judge entered Friday 1-for-5 with four strikeouts versus Crochet, with the lone hit coming in 2021.
And on Friday, Judge struck out swinging to end the top of the first, looking to lead off the top of the fourth and swinging for the second out in the sixth.
The sixth-inning battle ended with Crochet’s fastest two pitches of the season prior to their matchup in the ninth.
Crochet went to the mound in the ninth, looking for the first complete game of his career, and after he got Ben Rice on a groundout to second, Judge battled him until they got to a full count.
The blast ended Crochet’s night, as Aroldis Chapman entered to get the final two outs of the inning, before the Yankees lost in the 10th.
The teams don’t meet again until August after this series, so the pair of stars won’t face off against each other for a few months, but it will be worth watching.
