Few would have predicted the New York Yankees to win an ABS challenge before hitting a home run in 2026.
But they did, if only by a few seconds, and sure enough Aaron Judge was responsible for both.
The Yankees captain overturned a strike to a ball by 0.1 inch then blasted his first home run of the year, sending the Yankees to their second straight win, 3-0, over the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park.
Aaron Judge Hit His First Home Run After Winning an ABS Challenge
Judge strode to the plate in a scoreless game, with Paul Goldschmidt on second base after his leadoff double, hoping to put the Yankees ahead in the sixth inning.
After taking a ball, Judge took what home-plate umpire Chad Fairchild called a strike at the bottom of the strike zone. Judge tapped his helmet, signaling an ABS challenge, and the call was overturned by less than a fraction of an inch.
Though Jose Caballero attempted, and lost, an ABS challenge on opening night, Judge was the first in Yankees history to overturn a pitch in his favor.
“It’s weird. It’s a new part of the game,” Judge said. “You’ve just got to get used to it. I’m a hitter. I’ve got to focus on hitting. I’m not going to try to challenge every single one I think is close, but if there’s a big spot where I think I’ve got a chance to flip the count, I’m going to do it.”
Judge worked the count to 3-0 before taking two strikes, and fouling off a 3-2 pitch. Then he turned around a four-seam fastball for a 405-foot homer that gave the Yankees a 2-0 advantage.
“It takes one pitch, just like we saw in that at-bat,” Judge said.
Though Judge struck out in his final at-bat of the day, his home run, along with Giancarlo Stanton’s moonshot solo homer two batters later was the 60th time they homered in the same game. That was the Yankees’ only offense in their history-making victory by the Bay, thanks also to Cam Schlittler’s dominant first outing of 2026.
“I was just happy to get some runs on the board, especially with how Cam was rolling,” Judge said. “Getting a chance to get the two runs there, and then Big G followed it up with another one, it kind of solidified the win for us.”
Despite His Home Run, Aaron Judge is Off to a Slow Start
Much was made of Judge’s substandard four-strikeout performance on opening night. Yet, there are undoubtedly Yankees fans stressed out about the captain despite his huge blast Friday.
Judge has an unsightly slash line of .111/.111/.444 through two games and leads the majors with six strikeouts after two more Friday. His slow start comes on the heels of his 6-for-27 (.222) for the United States at the World Baseball Classic.
But Judge seems affected by the frosty reception he’s received in San Francisco. Judge, of course, grew up a mere 90 miles from where he grew up in Linden, California, and Giants fans, who feel jilted that Judge passed over his home region to remain with the Yankees in free agency in 2022, have booed him lustily throughout his two games by the Bay.
So Yankees fans can also be grateful they have just one more game in NorCal before they move up the coast to the the Pacific Northwest on Monday to take on the Seattle Mariners.
Aaron Judge Hits First Home Run After Making History vs Giants