After two hours, seven minutes of game action and a 98-minute rain delay, the Yankees’ finale with the Red Sox was officially called due to rain, a 2-0 win in six innings put on the Yankees’ ledger.
It was their seventh straight win and lowered their magic number to two, meaning one win in Toronto will clinch the AL East. To some, however, it was a disappointment, as Aaron Judge was on deck when Oswald Peraza made the final out of the sixth (and eventually the game), and would’ve had at least one more chance to make history.
Some, that is, except for Judge himself, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone.
“Yeah,” Boone said when asked if he understood the disappointment, “but at the same time, I’m looking at the radar and not seeing the avenue, so at that point, obviously selfishly, we have a lead and it’s an official game and we’re traveling to Toronto. So, if the radar is playing out how it looked to me, I’m more hoping they come to this decision, and I’m glad they finally did.”
“I like to hit and I think anyone would want more at-bats, but ask anyone in that room, we’re excited we got the victory and are one step closer to winning the division,” Judge added.
According to Boone, officials felt that the game might only be delayed for an hour or so, and they would be able to pick up around 10:30.
That quickly changed, and shortly after 10:30 passed and the rain got heavier, the game was called.
And as Judge said, the team is one step closer to clinching the division, which is the ultimate goal.
“We had a really strong homestand here that put us in a better position, we just have to stay the course and try to win a game against a really good team,” Boone said, with his top slugger adding this:
“We just have to stay focused, don’t try to do too much, and just do what we’ve been doing: stay aggressive, have quality at-bats, pass the baton, and don’t overthink things.”
Of course, even into the 98th minute of the delay, fans surely had visions of the game resuming, Judge coming back out, and maybe making history, even if it took hours upon hours – like, say, that game against Texas years back where Aroldis Chapman blew a save in the wee hours.
Sorry, folks, but it may not have happened, because based on the condition of the field, Boone said he would have had to consider “a lot of things” in regards to substitutions and alignments.
“I mean, he was DH’ing tonight, but once you saw how hard it was raining and as steady as it was, you knew it would be a difficult situation to play in,” Boone said. “When it rained as hard as it did for as long as it did, I was kind of beating the table because it was not going to be a safe situation with the field.”
So, for now, Yankees fans will have to wait and hope that Judge hits no homers, or only one, in Toronto, so there’s a chance to see history at the Stadium next weekend. The Maris family, who was in the Bronx all week, may or may not travel north of the border…but a jocular Judge sure hopes his own family does.
“Oh yeah, I hope so. They’re retired, they’ve got nothing to do, so they better be there!”
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Listen live to WFAN via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker
Follow WFAN on Social Media:
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
