Facing the prospect of elimination in the third game of the American League Division Series, Aaron Judge came through for the New York Yankees.
In the latter half of the fourth inning, he transformed a 99 mph fastball from Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Louis Varland into a 373-foot drive that bounced off the foul pole, bringing Austin Wells and Trent Grisham across home plate.
That marked Judge’s initial home run this year on a delivery situated outside the strike zone.
AARON JUDGE OFF THE FOUL POLE!
TIE GAME!!! #ALDS pic.twitter.com/rplPnEsRoH
— MLB (@MLB) October 8, 2025
The moment was undeniably significant, evening the score at 6-6 after New York had previously been down 6-1 earlier in the game. Historically, just four teams in MLB postseason play have overcome a five-run deficit while facing elimination, with the St. Louis Cardinals being the most recent example in Game 5 of the 2012 National League Division Series versus the Washington Nationals.
Judge’s score-tying home run represented his 11th hit of the current postseason, establishing a high mark for a Yankee through the team’s initial six postseason contests, a feat last achieved by Hideki Matsui and Alex Rodriguez, both recording 11 hits in 2004. Before this game, teams trailing by a minimum of five runs when staring down elimination held a record of 4-129 (.030).
ESPN Research contributed to this report.
