Pitcher who gave up 60th HR to Aaron Judge related to teammate of Babe Ruth

Sometimes, forces beyond understanding can offer a reminder that the world truly is a small place. 

In the bottom of the ninth inning of Tuesday's game between the New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates, Yankees All-Star slugger Aaron Judge hit his 60th home run of the season to tie a mark first reached by legend Babe Ruth during the 1927 campaign. Pirates reliever Wil Crowe surrendered that bomb and has an interesting tie to Ruth and the Yankees. 

According to Ted Holmlund of the New York Post and Ryan Gaydos of Fox News, Crowe's great-great uncle was Hall of Fame pitcher Red Ruffing, who spent time as Ruth’s teammate with the Yankees during the 1930s. The stories note that Crowe visited Ruffing’s plaque located in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium before the start of Tuesday's game. 

"He did what he was supposed to do with it," Crowe said of his pitch to Judge that forever linked the pair with Ruth. "3-1 count, I’m not going to put him on. I felt like I wanted to go after him. Started away, came back in. He put a good swing on a bad pitch." 

Crowe ultimately gave up a game-losing walk-off grand slam to Giancarlo Stanton later in the ninth: