New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is on a generational run right now. He's hitting at a pace closer to Barry Bonds and Babe Ruth than he is to the second-best hitter in the league. This doesn't take into account the fact that Judge was robbed of a home run earlier in the season. Not robbed in the sense of a player going up over the wall and catching a fly ball hit, but in the sense that the umpires incorrectly ruled a home run as a foul ball.
The inaccurate ruling happened in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays earlier in the season and it had a lot to do with the fact the foul poles were quite a bit shorter at Steinbrenner Field than they are in most Major League parks.
Rays broadcast pretending not to see Aaron Judge’s “foul ball” I’m crying pic.twitter.com/m3Xyj8m3RH
— least delusional yankee fan (@jdomenthusiast) April 21, 2025
Good thing the Yankees don't play too many games at non-Major League parks, right? This weekend, the Yankees are traveling on the road to play the Athletics, who also don't play in a typical MLB park. The Athletics are in the midst of a relocation and one Yankees writer noted the foul poles at their stadium are of similar size to the ones at Steinbrenner Field where Judge had the home run stolen from him.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.
Yankees fans given Aaron Judge foul pole PTSD before series with Athletics
Excellent point by @MarkWSanchez of the Post: foul poles VERY short here, much shorter than at Steinbrenner Field where, as you recall, Judge had a HR taken away on a ball that sailed well over the LF pole pic.twitter.com/10DNpTHsgg
— Erik Boland (@eboland11) May 9, 2025
The odds of Judge hitting a ball like he did against the Rays earlier this season was pretty low. The odds of the umpires getting it wrong with blatant evidence showing it was a fair ball is almost unfathomable. With that in mind, the Yankees faithful shouldn't have any fear that a similar situation could unfold just because the foul poles are short.
Well, we better hope that nothing similar happens, because Yankees fans may riot if it does.
For Judge's sake, he doesn't need that home run for people to see how great he is. The slugger is still likely going to eclipse the 50 home run mark without really breaking a sweat. It's unheard of to hit the way he is, but he continues to show up on a nightly basis.
Hopefully, for everybody involved, Judge can keep his deep fly balls to the middle of the field against the Athletics.