Kansas City, Mo. — Aaron Judge’s Remarkable Arm Play

Aaron Judge might have lost some of his power due to an injury late last season, yet his right arm remains a formidable asset, reminding teams of its strength.

During Wednesday night’s game, Judge delivered a stunning throw from right field in the third inning. His impressive play contributed to a 7-0 victory over the Royals while also helping Gerrit Cole maintain a shutout.

“I thought the game really hinged on Judge’s play,” Cole noted after pitching 6 ⅓ shutout innings. “He set the tone.” In that same inning, a scoreless game was still in motion. With two outs and a runner on second base for the Royals, Michael Garcia hit a line drive toward right field. Judge faced a split-second decision: dive or throw. He opted for the throw, delivering a one-hop strike that caught Michael Massie at home plate for the final out.

“I was just thinking that I can’t let this guy score,” Judge explained. “Especially since it was Gerrit’s second game back. It’s a tight game, and we knew if we let them score, things could turn. We’re just focused on doing our jobs.”

Interestingly, following his injury—a strain in his right flexor muscle—Judge struggled initially, losing some arm strength. But after resting in the offseason, he returned in good form this spring.

Despite knowing Judge’s abilities, Cole admitted he thought the runner was “definitely” going to score before witnessing the actual play unfold.

“He was dead to rights,” Cole remarked. “It inspired our play, and we started rolling from there.”

Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone thought the Royals made the correct call, realizing it would require a perfect throw to nab the runner, which Judge delivered.

“That was an exceptional play,” Boone commented. “He has this great ability to slow down in those moments. He moves quickly, yet he’s never in a rush. It’s an impressive feat to take a tricky hop, brace yourself, and execute the throw perfectly.”