OH, BABIES
Youth served as Judge, Monty lift Yanks:
If Aaron Judge keeps this up, he could be one judge who never sits on a bench again. For the past few days, anyway, the Yankees’ right fielder has been anything but a “so-called Judge.” He has been the real deal, even if the sample size is still so small, especially for such a behemoth of a player.
With fellow young sluggers Gary Sanchez and Greg Bird each missing three straight games with injuries or illness, the rest of the lineup was requested to “All Rise,” particularly with the former slated to be sidelined for at least the next four weeks.
The 6-foot-7 Judge now has gone deep in all three of those contests, all Yankee victories following a 1-4 start, with a goahead single up the middle and a mighty clout to right-center tacking on the final two runs of Wednesday’s 8-4 matinee win over Tampa Bay.
“Awesome,” said teammate Chase Headley, himself off to a torrid .393 start after a terrible opening six weeks one year ago. “Watching his BP, I’ve seen balls go farther than any other balls I’ve ever seen.
“Obviously, he’s a massive human being. But he’s got that kind of power, and he’s figuring out how to use it. It’s fun and exciting to see a guy coming into his own.”
Judge’s latest power display contributed to the middle-innings comeback that spared rookie lefty Jordan Montgomery — another organizational prospect who fought just to make the roster this spring — from a hard-luck defeat in his major-league debut.
Montgomery, who seized the No.5 starter competition with an impressive spring training, did what a fifth starter should do, limiting mistakes and keeping the Yankees close enough until the bats awoke and the Rays slumbered into the sloppiness that made them a last-place outfit last season.
After opening the game with whiffs of Steven Souza and Kevin Kiermaier, Montgomery’s 1-2 inside fastball to Rickie Weeks tailed back and caught too much plate and was clobbered into the left-field seats for a two-run homer. Welcome to the majors. Still, the rookie went on to allow just an unearned run from there, finishing with seven strikeouts before departing in a 3-0 hole but to a hearty ovation with two down in the fifth.
“You want to see how they respond,” Joe Girardi said afterward. “And I
thought he responded well. Went right back to pitching.”
None other than Mariano Rivera had been the previous Yankee to make his major-league debut as a starter and strike out the first two batters he faced, back in 1995.
Of course, it is another lefty of Core Four fame that probably is a more apt comparison for Montgomery, a 6-foot-6 lefty with an over-thetop delivery and a downhill trajectory on his pitches.
Yes, even on YES, it’s way too premature – beyond premature, in fact — to pin any unfair Andy Pettitte comparisons on this 24-yearold former fourth round draft pick out of South Carolina.
It still should be noted once again that the Yankees’ system hasn’t produced a frontline southpaw starter since Andy made his “aw, shucks” debut that same season as Mariano more than two decades ago.
Montgomery notably also kicked off his pinstriped career wearing No. 47 – a single digit above the one Pettitte wore, which resides now with the other retired numbers in Monument Park.
“I’m impressed,” Judge said of Montgomery. “Just doing the things he was doing in spring training. I’m excited he’s here. He belongs here.”
Judge is showing that he belongs, too, having worked diligently throughout camp to cut down on his strikeout rate, which was an astronomical 44.2 percent in 27 games with the Yanks last season.
“When someone like that gets hot, and is swinging the bat well, there’s gonna be balls leaving the ballpark, and that’s what’s happened,” Girardi said. “I think people are curious how far they can see Aaron Judge hit a ball.”
According to MLB Statcast, Judge’s sixth inning RBI single – which tied the game at 3-3 and nearly decapitated Rays reliever Jumbo Diaz – registered an exit velocity of 116.5 mph, making it the fastest hit in baseball so far this season.
“Yeah, that was pretty close. Scary moment right there,” Judge said. “I’m glad it didn’t hit him.”
Nevertheless, teammates were as impressed by the approach on the single as they were on Judge’s latest prodigious long ball.
“That’s the beauty of being a massive human being,” Headley said. “When you have that type of power, you can just be simple and short to the ball.
“It’s kind of a Miguel Cabrera kind of thing… You can ‘not overswing’ and still do damage, and he’s figuring that out.”
Added Judge: “A single works there. I don’t have to hit a three-run homer. If my barrel can beat the ball to a spot, I think good things are going to happen.”
Suddenly, good things are happening again in the Bronx, with youngsters Judge and Montgomery leading the way on Wednesday.
“Everyone goes through ups and downs,” Judge said, “so right now I’m just trying to ride out a time when you’re feeling good.”