When Yankees slugger Aaron Judge belted a solo homer in the 6th inning of a 9-1 win over Toronto on Tuesday, a beautiful moment sparked between a Yankee and Blue Jays fan, exchanging the baseball for a meaningful hug.
The Toronto fan picked up the baseball in awe as Judge smashed the home run 427 feet into the second deck in left field. A young fan wearing an Aaron Judge jersey immediately began crying in desperate need of retrieving the ball. With tears streaming down his face, he lunged at the Toronto fan to embrace as a sign of thanks.
Most wholesome thing I’ve seen today — Aaron Judge fan (Kid) wants that home run ball so bad, willing to hug Toronto fan for it.
Well done all around ?
— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) May 4, 2022
At this moment, faith in humanity is what is restored just a small amount, but put on display why baseball is such a beautiful game.
Judge, who is hitting .303 this season, is having a monster campaign after declining a big contract extension from the Yankees. Judge is clearly betting on himself, and that is seeming to pay off after 23 games, smashing nine homers and 19 RBIs. His strikeout rate is below his career average and hosts a .674 slugging percentage, which would be the best in his entire career.
Over 162 games, Judge is on pace to hit around 60 homers, which would best his record of 52 back in 2017. While it is unlikely he achieves that incredible feat, the Yankees are seeing why he’s so valuable as both an offensive and defensive threat.
Inadvertently, he also creates a few memorable moments for fans in the outfield.