Judge dislocates finger, pops it back in

BOSTON -- Aaron Judge pumped his right fist and roared, having delivered a two-run double to put his team back on top in another epic Fenway Park showdown. Adrenaline surged through the Yankees slugger, so much that it took a few moments to realize that his left pinky finger jutted at an alarming 90 degree angle.

Judge had opted for a headfirst slide into second base on his go-ahead double off Adam Ottavino, key to a 6-3 victory that vaulted the Yankees into the top spot of the American League Wild Card chase. Judge popped the digit back into place, then he finished the rest of the game.

“When I went to check my batting gloves, I saw it was out of place,” Judge said. “I’m not too concerned with it. I really don’t know what’s going on with it, but I really don’t need it to hit, so we should be in good shape.”

Judge said that he regretted not sliding feet-first on the double. He said he’d experienced multiple dislocated fingers during his days on the basketball court.

“You get a bad pass and get your fingers jammed up a bit,” Judge said. “It kind of felt something like that. You just kind of pop it back in and get back out there.”

“It happened to me in college,” manager Aaron Boone said. “The visual of it freaks you out more than anything. You pop it back in and you’re kind of all right. We’ll see. Hopefully we’re OK. We’ll see how the next 24 hours is.”

Judge leads the Yankees in games played this season, and his teammates were not surprised that Judge remained in the game, especially one carrying such important playoff ramifications.

“He’s a dog,” pitcher Jordan Montgomery said. “You know he’s going to stay out there.”

Judge's finger injury was not the Yanks’ only odd issue during the eighth-inning comeback.

After Giancarlo Stanton rounded the bases for his two-run homer, Stanton gleefully smacked infielder Gleyber Torres on the batting helmet, a blow that left such an impression that Torres had to step out of the batter’s box a few pitches later.

“I might have been a little too hyped there,” Stanton said. “I’ll have to check back on the video. I know I cruised through everyone pretty quick. I’ve got to ease up next time.”