WASHINGTON — Aaron Judge instituted a new rule Monday night: If he can't hit a home run, opponents can't hit one either — at least not while he's in charge.
The Nationals did the seemingly impossible by keeping Judge in the park, so the Yankees center fielder returned the favor by wowing them with his glove.
Judge leapt to catch the ball as it crashed into the left-center field fence, turning a potential game-tying home run into a double play and providing the highlight of the Yankees' 5-2 victory over the Nationals in the series opener at Nationals Park.
Judge had hit seven home runs in the six games leading up to Monday, keeping his home run total at 51, but his defensive virtuosity — preventing Yankees prospect Andres Chaparro from scoring and then ending the game with a double off James Wood in the bottom of the fourth inning with a 2-0 lead — added to his highlight reel for AL MVP candidacy.
By the end of the night, Judge also recorded his 1,000th career hit with a single the other way.
“Having a guy who can scale the wall and get a ball that's going to be an out is an added bonus for a guy who can do it all,” said Austin Wells, who added to his defensive prowess by tagging out the runner at second base and hitting his 10th home run of the year. “It's just something special to watch.”
The Yankees (78-54) won for the fifth time in their last six games on solo home runs from Gleyber Torres, Wells and Jazz Chisholm Jr., maintaining their position with the American League's best record and extending their AL East lead over the rested Orioles to two games.
Anthony Volpe also had three hits and scored two runs on a sacrifice fly by DJ LeMahieu.
Judge's steal was part of a strong defense that helped Nestor Cortes hold the Nationals (59-73) to just one run in 6 2/3 innings.
Alex Verdugo, who had three hits, made an excellent catch in the bottom of the second inning, even though he was hit into the left field wall with a runner on second base.
He hit his right knee against the wall during the play, but after being evaluated by a trainer, he was told it was just a contusion and played the rest of the game.
“Someone told me I had some room, and then I think I heard 'the wall' at the end,” Verdugo said with a laugh, “and then I caught the ball and went to look and my face was full of the wall.”
Judge got the better of Verdugo two innings later, blocking a home run that would have tied the game.
“Dugie basically broke through another wall and got the atmosphere going earlier,” Judge said. “As a teammate, we've got to go out there and match that energy. … [Cortes] “We got an out there and got a run back and made a little double play, so I was pretty excited about that.”
So were his teammates.
“When he jumped up and caught the ball, I was kind of freaked out,” Wells said. “I was like, Oh my God. It was crazy.”
Cortes held the opposing team scoreless until the seventh inning, but lost the game on a shutout solo home run by Juan Yepes.
Cortez had pitched 20¹₃ consecutive scoreless innings up to that point, and helped himself in the sixth inning by striking out three batters after putting runners on second and third.
“Great,” Cortez said of his defense. “If it weren't for that great catch there, I don't think I would have been in the game as long as I was.”
Torres led off the game with his second home run of the night, his second in a row, before Volpe doubled in the fourth inning and scored on LeMahieu's first sacrifice fly.
After Wells homered as leadoff hitter in the sixth to make it 3-0, Volpe singled to center field, dropped the ball and raced to second base, but his helmetless head slammed into the knee of shortstop C.J. Abrams at second base, surprising the Yankees.
However, he remained in the game after being checked by a trainer, stole third base, and scored on LeMahieu's sacrifice fly.
Chisholm hit his 21st home run of the season and his eighth in 18 games for the Yankees off left-handed relief pitcher Joe Lasorza in the eighth inning to make the score 5-1.
Even though Judge didn't hit a home run that night, his defense helped the Yankees win, and the manager called his catch “his 52nd home run of the year.”
“He's really good at what he does,” manager Aaron Boone said. “On nights when you leave him in the ballpark, he gets the ball back from the other side. It's a nice little reminder of how many other things he can do well.”
