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Aaron Judge Has Owned the Blue Jays and Kevin Gausman Knows It

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kristie Ackert | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 6:00 PM ET

Aaron Judge has made a career out of punishing the Toronto Blue Jays, and the timing of his latest return to right field makes this weekend’s series even juicier.

Judge enters the matchup with 41 career home runs against Toronto, the most by any Yankee against the Blue Jays and the second-most homers by any player against a single opponent since 2017. When the schedule turns to Toronto, Judge tends to flip a switch.

Friday night, he’ll face Kevin Gausman, a pitcher he’s already tagged six times in his career for home runs, his most against any pitcher.

Gausman can’t feel great coming into Yankee Stadium.

In April, he unraveled in a 53-pitch inning, got ejected in the third, and then made headlines for the wrong reason: he slipped down the dugout stairs while storming off. It was one of those clips that live forever in a rivalry.

Kevin Gausman allowed six runs on five walks and two hits in the third inning

He was taken out of the game then ejected and stumbled down the dugout steps while arguing with the umpire pic.twitter.com/a6DONvRWUX
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 27, 2025

This isn’t just a random September series either.

The Yankees are fighting to try and overcome Toronto and take back the American League East. The Blue Jays are looking to win it for the first time since 2015.

Judge’s bat is central to all of it. His splits show why his return to right field matters. He’s 1.076 OPS as a right fielder this season compared to .889 as a DH since August 5. The elbow that kept him off the grass clearly took some juice out of his swing; that he’s back in right field is a sign that he’s closer to 100%.

The Yankees are betting that playing the field helps him find his power again. If history is any indication, the Blue Jays and Gausman could be the first to feel the difference.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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