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Yankees’ Aaron Judge stuns Rays with walk-off moonshot
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- Yankees’ Aaron Judge stuns Rays with walk-off moonshot
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The New York Yankees were nursing a three-game losing streak going into their series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. After the rain moved Saturday's game to September, the Bombers needed a split against the AL East leaders. The Yankees and Rays were tied at 0 in the bottom of the ninth when Aaron Judge came up and smoked a walk-off home run to win the game .
Ryan Weathers pitched seven great innings for the Yankees, and was followed by Fernando Cruz and Tim Hill out of the bullpen. They all shut down the Rays' offense, allowing just six hits in the rain and giving the Bombers a chance in the ninth. Trent Grisham worked a walk against Kevin Kelly , and Judge followed him up.
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After a dismal series and a brutal slump, Judge did not let this opportunity pass. He smoked the walk-off homer to right field, just over the wall, to give the Yankees a much-needed win. Judge used every inch of Yankee Stadium, according to Baseball Savant. This homer, 363 feet to right field, would have been a homer in just two other ballparks. They weren't playing in Cincinnati or Philadelphia , but the Yankees won.
Judge got off to an elite start in April, but has slowed down in recent weeks. In the 14 games before Sunday's matchup, Judge had a .176 batting average and a poor .586 OPS. In those games, the Yankees went 4-10 and handed first place in the American League to the Rays. Maybe the rainy day at home was what he needed, as he smoked a single and the game-winner on Sunday.
The Yankees are 31-22, 4.5 games behind the Rays in the AL East. They hit the road for two favorable series, as they head to Kansas City and Sacramento. While Judge's homer was big, they will need it to start a run for the captain.
Related: Aaron Judge makes unique Yankees history with walk-off homer vs. Rays
Related: Yankees' Cody Bellinger shouts out Ryan McMahon for critical defensive play in Rays win
