Aaron Judge makes feelings clear on blown home run call

New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge was seemingly denied his eighth home run of the season in the 4-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays at George Steinbrenner Field on Sunday. Judge feels the umpires reached a wrong conclusion with their verdict even though they had used video review to make the final call.

Aaron Judge faced reliever Eric Orze in the top of the eighth inning with a three-run lead and drove a high flyball to deep left field. The ball sailed over the foul pole but seemed to have landed fair for a home run. The umpire crew ruled it foul, however, and confirmed their decision after reviewing the replay.

Judge offered his thoughts on the decision while speaking to reporters after the game.

"It was a fair ball. That's why we've got the replay," Judge said (0:30 onwards ). "It's not on the umpires. It's just tough in a situation like this, in a minor league park where the foul poles aren't that high. That's why we've got the replay, and they've got every angle. Yeah, it was a fair ball."

"I think everybody is scratching their heads. But there's nothing I can do about it," he added. "They missed it. We've just got to move on."

The Rays are playing their home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field due to the damage taken by Tropicana Field in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. The venue is the spring training facility of the Yankees, while it is also home to the Tampa Tarpons, the Single-A outfit of the Rays.

Aaron Boone reflects on the disallowed home run of Aaron Judge

Aaron Judge currently has an OPS of above 1.200 (Image Source: IMAGN)

Aaron Judge struck out on the very next pitch of the at-bat, which prompted manager Aaron Boone to blast third base umpire Scott Barry, as well as home plate umpire Adam Beck, for the blown home run call.Boone had a lengthy rant at the two officials and was eventually ejected from the game.

"The audacity of the call standing is remarkable," he said after the game.

"It was a fair ball," Judge said. "That’s why we got a replay. It’s not on the umpire — it’s tough on a situation like this where, at a minor league park, the foul poles aren’t as high. That’s why you have replay, they have every angle. That’s a fair ball."

It would have been the eighth home run of the season for Aaron Judge. He has been the best overall hitter in the MLB this season with a .390/.495/.707 slash line with seven home runs, 25 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.202.

About the author

Paranjoy Goswami (Bobo) is a baseball reporter at Sportskeeda with over 10 years of experience writing with publications such as Eagle Bet, India Bet and Paradine.

He has provided full coverage, match previews and betting tips on major tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup, English Premier League, German Bundesliga, ICC World Cup, Indian Premier League and several others.

Bobo grew up supporting the Red Sox but has also been on the Phillies bandwagon for the past couple of years. He also roots for the St. Louis Cardinals and Seattle Mariners.

While he hasn't played much baseball, Bobo's fascination with the sport started with an 8-bit Nintendo game, where he picked up the basic rules. He started watching live MLB matches on TV about 20 years ago and his love for baseball just grew by leaps and bounds from then on.

Bobo's favorite player was probably Tim Wakefield as not only was he the best knuckleball pitcher of his time, but he was also a Red Sox legend, an outstanding team player and a great human being. Among the current generation, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Max Scherzer and Bryce Harper get the nod.

Bobo's favorite moment in baseball history was when the Red Sox beat the Yankees before breaking their World Series curse in 2004. That said, Jackie Robinson's breaking the color barrier was the most important.

Outside of baseball, Bobo's interests include literature, comics, world history, science fiction, satire, classic movies, PC games, pets, playing sports, cycling, traveling, sightseeing and quiet reflection.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash