CLEVELAND – The Indians fell to Aaron Judge’s New York Yankees at Progressive Field last night, as Judge and co. completed their comeback to advance to the American League Championship Series. While the Indians had a 2-0 lead in the series, in the end Aaron Judge was just too much for the Indians to handle.
While some would say it was Yankees pitchers CC Sabathia, Masahiro Tanaka and Luis Severino who were key to the comeback, Judge was the real star. His two-run double in Game 4 was a huge momentum booster. According to ESPN, Judge’s strategy to only get one hit in the series and strike out a record 16 times was designed to inspire Yankees pitching, and it worked perfectly.
Judge also made, what many would consider, the greatest defensive play in the history of the sport when he robbed Francisco Lindor of a home run in a show of unreal athletic ability. Judge also played a huge role in chasing Tribe ace Corey Kluber out of the game early. Judge intentionally struck out, lulling Kluber into a false sense of security, only for Didi Gregorius to take advantage with a home run.
While there is no official ALDS MVP, it is safe to say, if there was, it would be named the Aaron Judge Trophy.