Aaron Judge had classic NSFW reaction to Clay Holmes striking out Starling Marte

With all due respect to the reverse boycott in Oakland, baseball doesn't get any better than the eighth inning at Citi Field on Tuesday night between the Yankees and Mets.

In a game that stretched an hour longer than it had any business stretching, confounding the pitch clock, Clay Holmes entered in the bottom of the eighth to clean up left-hander Wandy Peralta's very public mess. After walking the No. 9 hitter and allowing a line drive single to Brandon Nimmo that narrowly evaded the glove of a diving Anthony Volpe, he came back from 2-0 down in the count to Francisco Alvarez and induced a forceout.

Unfortunately, he responded to his sudden momentum by drilling lightning bug Jeff McNeil on a 1-2 pitch. So it goes.

In the end, Peralta likely saved the Yankees' bacon by striking McNeil, an excellent batsman who probably would've found a way to get the tying run home from third with a bloop or dribbler. Instead, that duty rested on the shoulders of Francisco Lindor, who had designs of grandeur in his eyes from the moment he stepped in the box.

Holmes then strode through the bullpen door (at the right time, unlike Ron "I'm Early" Marinaccio) to sort out the nearly impossible situation, and brought both at-bats that followed to the limits of hyperventilation. Both Lindor and Starling Marte, the next batter, fought the count full. Both Lindor and Starling Marte, the next batter, went down waving, Lindor at a sinking fastball and his backup plan at a devastating slider.

Even with one inning to go, it was alright to scream. And that's exactly what a rehabbing Aaron Judge did on the bench, letting out a lusty, "F*** yeah!"

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, re: Clay Holmes: "F*** yeah!"

We know you probably did it, too. Maybe you have thin walls and didn't want your neighbors realizing just how into a June baseball game between a third- and fourth-place team you were. Maybe your significant other was sleeping in the room next door, and even your claps are loud, so you kind of just ... mimed joy.

Or maybe you were Aaron Judge, physically unable to perform for some undetermined length of time and, for the first time in quite a while, as unable to affect the outcome of the game as you or I.

This was a Yankees team that was challenged earlier in the day by Hal Steinbrenner to perform the way they were paid to on offense. Even after the 7-6 win, this is still that team. But, thanks to Holmes, this singular game is an indelible memory the 2023 Yankees will always be able to frame. The night DJ LeMahieu kickstarted the rally, like he used to. The night Anthony Volpe hit a game-changing double down the line, and another game-changing double that blinding Brandon Nimmo. And, yes, the night the Mets' house became a Holmes. F*** yeah.