The Red Sox gave Aaron Judge a second chance, then a third.
The Yankees slugger made it hurt — then hurt himself by dislocating his pinky — with a go-ahead and sweep-clinching hit that lifted the Yankees to a 6-3 win Sunday night at Fenway Park.
After twice coming within inches of making the second out in the eighth inning, Judge crushed a two-run double off former teammate Adam Ottavino to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 Yankees lead.
“I felt like a cat,” Judge said. “I felt like I had nine lives out there.”
As he dove into second base head-first — before he leapt up and unleashed an emphatic fist pump towards the Yankees dugout — Judge jammed his left pinky on the bag and dislocated it. After a trainer was finally able to pop the finger back in place on the field, Judge stayed in the game.
“Popped up, really didn’t feel much and then when I went to check my batting gloves, I saw it was kind of out of place,” Judge said. “Tried popping it back in, it got stuck again, so just needed some help. Not too concerned with it. I really don’t know what’s going on with it, but I don’t really need it to hit, so I think we’re going to be in good shape.”
Judge took his spot in right field in the bottom of the inning and quickly had his left hand tested when he caught a fly ball.
“Hopefully we’re OK,” manager Aaron Boone said. “We’ll have to see how the next 24 hours is.”
In order to deliver his clutch double in the top of the eighth, Judge got some help from the Red Sox.
With runners on second and third and one out, Judge popped up into foul territory on the first-base side. Red Sox first baseman Bobby Dalbec tiptoed over towards the wall, but stopped with a few feet to spare and reached out to see the ball fall to the dirt, just beyond his outstretched glove.
Ottavino nearly took Dalbec off the hook when he appeared to strike out Judge on a foul tip. But catcher Christian Vazquez, after seemingly securing strike three in his mitt, dropped the ball on the transfer to his throwing hand.
Home plate umpire Joe West ruled it a dropped third strike on the foul tip, giving Judge a new life. The Red Sox did not challenge the call, because it is not reviewable, and moments later, Judge came through with a 118.4 mph rocket to the gap to drive in both runs.
“You can’t give that man too many extra chances,” Giancarlo Stanton said.