Cleveland Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio commits an error on a fly ball that allowed a run to score during the first inning against the New York Yankees. Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Watch: Dropped pop-up by Guardians gifts Yankees early run

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Oct 15, 2024 8:09 PM ET

New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge has been in a slump for most of the 2024 playoffs, and it looked to be continuing in the bottom of the first inning in Game 2 of the ALCS on Tuesday night.

With runners on the corners and nobody out, Judge got a belt-high pitch down the middle of the plate and hit a sky-high pop-up on the infield. It looked to be a routine play for the Cleveland Guardians infield and a big missed opportunity for Judge and the Yankees.

That is when Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio kept drifting across the infield and was unable to secure it.

The @Yankees get on the board right away #ALCS pic.twitter.com/gEoMiuF8v6
— MLB (@MLB) October 15, 2024

Maybe that is the break Judge needs to get out of his slump.

The dropped pop-up allowed Gleyber Torres to score, while Juan Soto advanced to second base with Judge safe at first.

The Yankees were unable to add on the rest of the inning, but they still got the early lead thanks to a gift. That can be a game-changing — and perhaps even series-changing — play.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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