WASHINGTON — Aaron Judge made up a new rule Monday night: If he doesn’t hit a home run, his opponents don’t get to either — at least not on his watch.
The Nationals did the seemingly impossible and kept Judge in the park, so the Yankees center fielder returned the favor by dropping jaws with his glove.
Judge made a leaping grab while running into the left-center field wall that turned a potential game-tying home run into a double play, highlighting the Yankees’ 5-2 win over the Nationals in the series opener at Nationals Park.
While Judge remained at 51 home runs, after homering seven times in his previous six games before Monday, his defensive gem (which robbed former Yankees prospect Andres Chaparro before he doubled off James Wood at first base to end the fourth inning of a 2-0 game) became the latest addition to his likely AL MVP highlight reel.
By the end of the night, Judge also picked up his 1,000th career hit with a single laced the other way.
“To have a guy out there that can climb the walls and catch balls that might be going out, it’s just another plus to a guy who does it all,” said Austin Wells, who added to the strong defensive night overall by picking off a runner at second base before hitting his 10th home run of the year. “It’s really special to watch.”