"Did he get it?" TBS play-by-play guy Brian Robinson asked as Judge sent a letter-high, 95-mph fastball from Guardians hurler Hunter Gaddis skyward. "He got it!" Robinson eventually added once the ball landed far beyond the extended glove of leaping Guardians center-fielder Lane Thomas. "Aaron Judge finally connects!" Judge's wallop off Gaddis, the seventh Guardians pitcher of the game, came with Gleyber Torres on first and gave the Yanks a 6-2 lead that Cleveland did not surmount.
Judge's playoff woes, coming after he had a regular season for the ages, were much discussed heading into Tuesday's game, and surely factored into Guardians manager Stephen Vogt's decision with one out in the bottom of second to intentionally walk Juan Soto to load the bases with Judge on deck.
But Vogt's decision to forsake Soto to face Judge might be the slight that snapped Judge back into form. God knows this series could use more of what he brought.
Vogt kept his leash short on Smith and all subsequent relievers in what turned out to be a bullpen game for the Guardians; ultimately eight different pitchers th
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