Judge launches rocket, makes fan's night

PHILADELPHIA -- Aaron Judge went pole to pole in the span of one eventful inning Monday, mashing a line drive to the left-field seats before creating a fan for life in Citizens Bank Park's Section 105, hovering over the warning track in right field.
Having slugged his team-leading 20th homer in the top of the fifth inning, Judge returned to his position and played catch with a young boy wearing a No. 99 jersey, another installment of a heartwarming tradition that Judge has brought to ballparks across the country.

"His arm was good. Really good," Judge said after the Yankees' 4-2 win over the Phillies. "I gave him a ball a couple of innings before and I tried to play catch with him, but I don't think he knew what I was saying. When I came out there again, he knew what I was saying this time."
Judge's blast off right-hander Vince Velasquez was a rocket, coming off his bat at 110.9 mph with a launch angle of 19 degrees, traveling a Statcast™-calculated 355 feet. Judge said he didn't notice how quickly it soared into the seats.
"I just tried to make contact and run, then saw it go over," Judge said.

The Phillies are the 20th opponent that Judge has homered against, and Citizens Bank Park is the 15th venue in which he has homered.
"It's a good ballpark. The fans were electric, it was packed tonight. It's a good place to play," Judge said. "It's pretty close to New York, plus we've got a lot of Minor League affiliates around this area. There's Yankee fans everywhere."
After three straight losses to the Rays at Tropicana Field, Judge said shaking hands on the field was a welcome change of pace.
"That's always good," Judge said. "We just had to forget about what happened in Tampa and get ready for a good Phillies offense and a good Phillies team. That was our main goal: Scratch what happened in Tampa."