Rookie’s touch
Judge goes deep as Yankees take down Twins in AL wild card
NEW YORK: Rookie star Aaron Judge belted a two-run homer as the New York Yankees overcame a rocky start to win their American League wild-card play-off with the Minnesota Twins 8-4 on Tuesday.
Judge smashed his 53rd homer of the season in the bottom of the fourth inning to help the Yankees into a 7-4 lead, setting up a victory which advances them to a place in the best-of-five division series against the Cleveland Indians starting tomorrow morning (6.30am Thai time).
It was another blockbuster effort from the 25-year-old Californian, who has lit up the Yankees season with a record-breaking year with the bat.
Judge’s 386-foot home run followed a wild start to the game which saw the Twins power into a 3-0 lead in a dramatic first inning at Yankee Stadium.
Brian Dozier set the tone with a monstrous lead-off home run to give the Twins a 1-0 lead, bludgeoning a fly ball to left centre field for the score.
Eddie Rosario then homered with a line drive to right field which allowed Jorge Polanco to get home and put the Twins 3-0 up.
Yet just when it looked as if the Twins early blast might prove decisive, the Yankees came roaring back in the bottom of the first.
With Brett Gardner and Judge on base, shortstop Didi Grigorious smacked a home run to level the score at 3-3.
A Gardner home run into right field in the bottom of the second put the Yankees 4-3 up but Minnesota did not have long to wait to get back on level terms.
A Byron Buxton ground ball allowed Jorge Polanco to score and level at 4-4.
The Yankees then edged ahead in the bottom of the third when Greg Bird singled to allow Gary Sanchez to get home and put the Yankees 5-4 ahead.
It was then left to Judge to belt his tworun homer to give the Yankees a threepoint cushion.
Aaron Hicks was then walked by Alan Busenitz with the bases loaded to allow Judge to score and extend the Yankees lead to four runs.
JETER VAGUE ON STANTON FUTURE
Derek Jeter said he was ready to take “unpopular decisions” as part of the Miami Marlins’ new ownership group as questions about star slugger Giancarlo Stanton’s future swirled.
Jeter, part of a consortium which completed a US$1.2 billion (approximately 40 billion baht) takeover of the Marlins on Monday, was non-committal when asked about Stanton’s place with the franchise.
Former New York Yankees star Jeter said the Marlins planned a major “rebuild” of the organisation amid reports that sweeping cuts to the franchise payroll are planned.
“Moving forward there will be at times unpopular decisions,” Jeter said.
On Friday, Stanton told an interviewer he did not want to be part of another longterm rebuilding job, complaining in an interview that he had “lost for seven years”.
Asked about Stanton, who led the majors this year with 59 home runs and 132 RBIS, Jeter said the star outfielder had enjoyed an “unbelievable season”.
However, he hedged when asked about Stanton’s long-term future.
“I don’t know him well,” Jeter said of Stanton. “I haven’t spoken to the players. I haven’t spoken to him. Anything we’re going to do moving forward with the organisation, I will discuss with [team president Mike Hill].”
But Jeter said he expected changes would need to be made. Stanton is three seasons into a 13-year contract worth $325 million. According to reports, the Marlins lost more than $50 million with a $115 million payroll in 2017.
Jeter is reportedly keen to cut the payroll to around $55 million in 2018, when Stanton is scheduled to receive another $25 million.
“We do have to rebuild the organisation,” Jeter said. “It starts with player development and scouting. We will build it from top down and bottom up.”