NEW YORK — The New York Yankees have had a lot of problems with the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS, but Aaron Judge is not one of them. Tuesday night in Game 3, New York’s captain launched a game-tying three-run home run off the left field foul pole to complete his team’s comeback from an early 6-1 deficit. The Yankees have avoided elimination for at least one more night and forced Game 4 on Wednesday (NYY 9, TOR 6).
“I felt like I made good contact and I thought we had a chance,” Judge said after the game about the ball staying fair. “You just never know with the wind, if it’s going to push it foul, keep curving or not. But I guess a couple ghosts out there helped kind of keep that fair.”
The home run was Judge’s first of the 2025 postseason and also his sixth career homer with his team facing elimination, tying Hall of Famer David Ortiz for the most in MLB history. The Yankees are 4-2 in elimination games when Judge goes deep.
That is a special home run hit by a special player. According to Statcast, it is the fastest pitch Judge has ever hit for a homer (99.7 mph) and also the farthest inside pitch Judge has ever hit for a homer (1.2 feet). It is the fastest inside pitch any player has hit out of the park since pitch-tracker launched in 2008. It takes a 1 of 1 player to do that.
“You’re just in the moment. Just trust your eyes, trust your swing.” Judge said when asked how he got to that pitch. “I feel like I can get to every pitch in the zone. I think the biggest thing is just being ready on time. I think it’s all timing. That’s what a lot of hitting comes down to.”
Blue Jays manager John Schneider put it more succinctly: “That was a ridiculous swing.”
Why Blue Jays’ John Schneider isn’t sweating that game-changing Aaron Judge home run: ‘Give him credit, man’
Matt Snyder
Judge has been criticized, not unfairly, for a lack of postseason impact throughout his career. He entered 2025 as a .199/.313/.435 hitter in 57 career postseason games, numbers far below his immense regular-season production. Even this postseason, Judge was 8 for 18 (.444) going into Game 3, but with seven singles and not much game-changing impact.
Now, Judge is shedding the postseason monkey that has been on his back the last nine years. He went 3 for 4 with an RBI double to get the Yankees to within 6-2, and then the three-run homer to tie Game 3. The big night improved him to .500/.577/.727 through New York’s six games this postseason. Judge has reached base 15 times and made only 11 outs.
The Blue Jays were spooked enough to intentionally walk Judge with one out and the bases empty in the sixth inning Tuesday, which led to an insurance run. And on top of the offense, Judge made a diving catch to take at least a single away from Anthony Santander, if not keep a run off the board. It’s not often one player can take over a game in this sport, but Judge did in Game 3.
“The diving catch was great. A perfect jump on it,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Right when we got back in, now here they go, it looks like they’re going to lead off with base runners, and he shut it down right away.”
The five-run comeback is tied for the second largest in Yankees postseason history behind a six-run comeback in Game 4 of the 1996 World Series against the Atlanta Braves. It is also the third-largest comeback in an elimination game in baseball history. The Yankees still have never been swept in the ALDS. They are 4-0 all-time in Game 3 when down 2-0 in the series.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit his first home run of the playoffs to give the Yankees a lead they would never surrender in the fifth inning, and five relievers kept Toronto off the scoreboard for the final 6 ⅔ innings. That includes Devin Williams’ first four-out appearance since May 2023. The Yankees got contributions up and down the lineup and from almost everyone in the bullpen.
Judge was the star of Game 3 though and the Yankees needed him to be. There was no chance — zero — the Yankees would be able to force Game 4 without Judge making a difference in Game 3. He needed to put his team on his back, which he does for long stretches of time every season. Now Judge has done it in October, and the Yankees live to play another day.
“Just trying to just do my job, what I’ve been trying to do all year,” Judge said. “Not trying to do too much. Guy’s on base, drive him in. If no one’s on base, try to get a rally going. That’s all you can do, especially in front of our fans.”
