Yanks can’t hold on after Judge sends one to remotest part of Fenway
Bryan Hoch
BOSTON — Squeezing Fenway Park into the confines of an existing 1912-era street grid necessitated many unique quirks, like the 37-foot-tall Green Monster that looms over left field. It also meant that there would be areas where baseballs simply were not expected to land — at least, not until the Yankees’ Aaron Judge arrived.
Judge blasted a drive to a part of Fenway where longtime Bostonians swear they simply haven’t seen many soar before, a monstrous three-run drive off Red Sox reliever Zack Kelly in the seventh inning on Friday evening. Then the Yankees showcased an all-too-familiar outcome, coughing up the advantage in a 9-7 loss.
Austin Wells followed Judge’s homer with one of his own, building a three-run lead at the time, but the Red Sox weren’t done. Ceddanne Rafaela hit a two-run homer off Luke Weaver in the seventh; one of the Yanks’ more reliable relievers this season, Weaver didn’t have his good command, leaving a two-on, one-out mess for Clay Holmes in the eighth.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone asked Holmes for a five-out save, but the lead lasted all of two pitches, with Wilyer Abreu coming off the bench to deliver a game-tying double. Masataka Yoshida followed by hammering a two-run single to center field, restoring Boston’s lead. It was Holmes’ seventh blown save in 28 opportunities, which is tied for the Major League lead.
So as the story has gone too frequently, the Yankees were left to marvel at a Judge accomplishment in a losing effort.
Clearing not only the center-field wall but also the bleachers’ seating area, fading into the night underneath the video scoreboard, Judge’s Major League-leading 36th home run traveled a Statcast-calculated 470 feet.
Wells immediately followed with a homer to right field, sending Tyler O’Neill tumbling into the seating area in pursuit and giving the Yankees a 7-4 lead at the time.
Judge’s homer was the fourth longest hit at Fenway Park since Statcast tracking became available in 2015, behind Miguel Sano on Aug. 25, 2021 (495 feet), Gary Sanchez on Oct. 6, 2018 (479 feet) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on June 24, 2024 (471 feet).
It was also the fifth longest home run of Judge’s career, according to Statcast. For locals, it brought to mind a storied Jim Rice blast off the Royals’ Steve Busby on July 18, 1975, which was said to have exited Fenway somewhere near the top of the flagpole beyond center field. Busby would later joke that “it probably ended up on the Mass Pike.”
Alas, no Statcast measurements exist for Rice’s homer, but future generations on both sides of this historic rivalry will no doubt remember Judge’s.
