NEW YORK – Name a weirder home run. Try it.
Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge smashed a home run in the fifth inning of Monday’s exhibition game against the Phillies at Yankee Stadium.
The thing is, there were already three outs.
The background: Phillies manager Joe Girardi (remember, Yankees fans?) He wanted pitcher Vince Velasquez to get a few more pitches in the inning, though he finished the picture with a double play. He hadn’t given up a career in five innings.
Velásquez then stayed to face Judge, who crushed a bomb in right center field. As he circled the bases, the Phillies players started to walk away and Judge stopped at second base. Then he went on and crossed the house plate … because why not?
Judge also homered twice against the Mets on Sunday.
NATIONAL PASTURE: The Yankees will open the 118th season in franchise history in a road game on Thursday against defending World Series champion Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington DC … it will be the first game of a road trip that will open the season (three games in Washington from July 23 and July 25 to July 26 and two games in Philadelphia from July 27 to 28) … are slated to play their first home game of the year on July 29 against the Phillies as the start of a five game home stand (7 / 29-8 / 2)
It will open the season against a National League opponent for the first time in franchise history … it will also play its first home game against a National League (Phillies) enemy for the first time.
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