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Watch: Judge robs potential HR with spectacular defensive play
New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge (99) leaps to make a catch against the wall against the Washington Nationals during the second inning at Nationals Park. Rafael Suanes-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Aaron Judge robs potential HR with spectacular defensive play

Aaron Judge doesn't just hit home runs. He also robs them.

On Monday, the likely AL MVP followed his two-home run game the previous day with an excellent defensive play against the Nationals to prevent a two-run home run.

Nationals first baseman Andres Chaparro hit a Nestor Cortes 90 mph cutter to deep left-center. Judge ran toward the outfield wall and expertly timed his jump to keep the ball in the field.

After robbing the home run, Judge threw the ball back to the infield, doubling up Nationals left fielder James Wood at first to end the inning and preserve the Yankees' 2-0 lead.

On Sunday, Judge hit his 50th and 51st home runs of the season. He's on pace to hit 63, which would break the AL single-season home run record he set in 2022.

Per ESPN Bet, Judge (-10000) is a runaway favorite to be named AL MVP. In addition to his 51 home runs, Judge has a career-high .333 batting average. His 1.202 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) is the highest since Barry Bonds' 1.422 OPS in 2004.

Judge is the clear MVP favorite because of his work at the plate, but his excellent defensive play showed that he's much more than an offensive juggernaut.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

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