Yankees: Aaron Judge’s first home run of spring literally left the stadium

Mar 17, 2021; Dunedin, Florida, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) scores a run during the fifth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2021; Dunedin, Florida, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) scores a run during the fifth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Hey, remember when Yankees star Aaron Judge hadn’t hit a single home run this spring? Good times.

The world was on high alert. Crowds stopped in Times Square, refusing to move until Judge’s first power display.

New York was objectively in chaos, only because of the Judge dinger thing and not because of something else.

Well, like a pitcher who sat 92 all spring suddenly drilling 97 on Opening Day, Judge unleashed his first home run of the spring on Thursday, and it went so far it almost…seemed like a joke.

When Corey Kluber’s velocity was questioned earlier this week, he flat-out (correctly!) told ESPN’s Marly Rivera he wasn’t thinking about it at all.

When Judge’s power was questioned (by…some?)? He responded with actions, not words.

Unfortunately, the Philadelphia Phillies were the victims on Thursday, as Judge teed off on a Matt Moore pitch, which left the entire stadium.

https://twitter.com/Yankees/status/1375209511003250692?s=20

Yankees OF Aaron Judge’s first home run of the spring cleared the stadium.

Hey, how’s the wind in Clearwater on Thursday? Let’s ask the baseball when it lands.

Judge, power or not, has shown off perhaps his most important new skill thus far this spring: health (so far, so far, SO FAR, as he knocks furiously on some damned wood). He’s answered the bell every time he’s been called upon, hitting .263 in 38 at-bats.

If you’re going dinger-less and you’re literally Aaron Judge, though, that’s bound to light the blogosphere on fire. It’s far more fun to watch Judge clear the deck, after all.

Well, good news! Now we have the best of both worlds! Judge has provided us with a home run highlight to top all spring home run highlights, and the lunatic fringe of the Yankees fan base that found a reason to be annoyed by his preseason performance can hush.

At this moment in time, both Judge and Giancarlo Stanton look entirely locked in. Both men have also ducked inside pitches in recent days; Judge veered out of the way, while Stanton took one on the elbow.

Now that we’ve seen a Judge homer — officially — can we maybe just sit these two guys for the final few spring games? We’re not asking much.

This highlight should satisfy y’all anyway.