SAN FRANCISCO — For nearly a decade, Yankees captain Aaron Judge has been the best hitter in baseball with one persistent handicap. Umpires have consistently misjudged his strike zone, particularly on low pitches, calling strikes on balls that were nowhere near the zone.
The numbers back it up. From 2017 through 2025, no hitter had more called strikes on pitches outside the zone than Judge, who was tied with Mookie Betts at 638. On low pitches alone, Judge absorbed 368 incorrect strike calls, far more than any other player. Josh Bell was a distant second at 233.
On Friday at Oracle Park, the three-time AL MVP got his first chance to do something about it in a Yankees uniform with the new system in place. What followed changed an at-bat, broke open a game and may have signaled something much bigger for the Yankees captain going forward.
The at-bat that silenced a week of noise
Judge entered Friday’s sixth inning in a rough patch. He was 0-for-7 on the young Yankees season with five strikeouts, including a four-strikeout golden sombrero on Opening Night. The hot-take crowd, led by ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, had already pounced. Was the back-to-back MVP slipping? Was his prime ending?
“When you’re arguably the greatest, people expect great things,” Yankees teammate Cody Bellinger said. “And throughout 162, great things are gonna happen.”
With Paul Goldschmidt on second base and no outs in a scoreless game, Judge fell behind 1-0 against Giants lefty Robbie Ray. The next pitch, an 86-mph slider, broke just below the zone. Home plate umpire Chad Fairchild called it a strike.
Judge stepped back and tapped his helmet. It was his first ABS challenge in a regular-season game.
Yankees captain uses ABS to flip the count
The replay confirmed what Judge suspected. The pitch missed the bottom of the strike zone by 0.1 inch. Instead of a 1-1 count, it became 2-0.
That fraction of an inch carried enormous weight. Last season, the MLB average OPS in a 1-1 count was .669 compared with .974 in a 2-0 count. For Judge specifically, the gap is even wider. He owns a career 1.373 OPS after the count reaches 2-0, compared with .945 after 1-1.
“Obviously, the challenge turned into making it a real leverage-heavy at-bat for him, and he hit a moonshot,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
Five pitches later, in a full count, Judge crushed a 93-mph fastball 405 feet to left field at 109.1 mph off the bat. It was his first hit and first homer of 2026. It gave the Yankees a 2-0 lead they would not relinquish in a 3-0 Yankees victory.
“I thought the call was gonna stand. It was a close one,” Judge said. “I’m not going to try to challenge every single one I think is close, but if there’s a big spot where I think I’ve got a chance to flip the count, I’m going to do it.”
A career of bad calls meets a new Yankees weapon
Judge’s 6-foot-7 frame has been both a gift and a burden at the plate. His size generates enormous power, but it has also confused umpires for years. The low-strike problem is not a matter of perception. It is documented fact.
Cody Bellinger, who hit behind Judge in the Yankees lineup last season, has witnessed the issue up close throughout his time in the Bronx.
“It’s funny. He’s so tall, and somehow he gets rung up on that call,” Bellinger said. “I see it hitting behind him all the time. It’s going to be good for him. He knows the zone really well, and obviously it worked out that time. I think it’s going to benefit him a lot.”
The Yankees captain called the experience of using ABS for the first time “weird” but acknowledged its potential as a tool.
“It’s a new part of the game, but you’ve got to get used to it,” he said. “I think just having the challenge in your back pocket will be nice in certain situations.”
The Yankees appear ready to use the system aggressively. The Yankees tied Cleveland for the most challenges in MLB during spring training with 48 and won the most with 24. Catcher Austin Wells also flipped a ball into strike three against Giants slugger Rafael Devers on Friday.
Ray tips his cap as Yankees slugger keeps the Oracle Park hex alive
The homer extended a remarkable trend for Judge against Ray. All four of Judge’s career hits against the left-hander have been home runs in 11 at-bats.
“I challenged the best hitter in baseball, and he just happened to get me,” Ray said. “I just went to the well one too many times.”
The Yankees slugger also continued his dominance at Oracle Park, the stadium he grew up visiting as a Giants fan in nearby Linden, Calif. He now has four homers and eight RBIs in five career games in San Francisco.
“It’s cool. We got a chance to play here a couple of years ago,” Judge said. “I was just happy to get some runs on the board, especially with how Cam was rolling.”
Stanton follows up as Yankees power duo hits 60
Two batters after Judge’s blast, Giancarlo Stanton greeted Giants reliever Jose Butto with a 414-foot, 108-mph solo shot to left. It was the 60th time Judge and Stanton have homered in the same game, including the postseason. The Yankees are 53-7 in those 60 contests.
“He’s executing really well. He’s in a good place,” Boone said of Stanton, who is 4-for-8 through the first two games of the season.
“Him and Judge in that inning just hit two absolute moonshots,” Bellinger said. “So that was fun to watch.”
Yankees starter Schlittler, who held the Giants to one hit over 5 1/3 dominant innings, said he never doubted the Yankees captain would find his swing.
“He didn’t play the way he wanted to on Wednesday, but he looked great today,” Schlittler said. “I had no doubts that he was going to go do something like that today.”
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
