Aaron Judge calls Toronto Blue Jays pitcher 'class act' for returning historic home run ball
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge called one of the Toronto Blue Jays pitchers "a class act" for his instrumental role in returning Judge's historic home run ball to the Yankees on Wednesday night's game.
During the third game of a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre Wednesday, Judge tied the MLB American League (AL) record for most home runs in a single season.
Pitched to by reliever Tim Mayza, Judge hit his 61st home run of the season into the Blue Jays bullpen during the seventh inning of Wednesday’s game. With Aaron Hicks on first base, Judge hit the record-tying homer on a 3-2 count to give the Yankees a 5-3 lead.
Before falling into the bullpen, the lucrative ball grazed the glove of a Toronto Blue Jays fan sitting in the first row, a Toronto restaurateur named Frankie Lasagna.
Lasagna had brought the glove for exactly that reason – he’d hoped he’d have the chance to take home a piece of baseball history, or at least leverage it.
“I would have held on to it for as long as I could (to) negotiate,” he told the Canadian Press. “Maybe get Judge to try to come to the restaurant.”
But ultimately, Lasagna left empty-handed, as he couldn’t quite reach the ball, allowing it to fall into the Jays bullpen.
“The disbelief comes over you and just the shock and the amazement,” he said. “I was like, 'Oh my God, I almost had it.’”
From there, Blue Jays bullpen coach Matt Buschmann caught the ball after it bounced off a wall, a spokesperson for the team confirmed. He and closer Jordan Romano made sure it got back to the Yankees, they said.
“Romano was one of several people involved in our bullpen. He made sure our group hung onto it until Zack Britton of the Yankees came to get it,” the spokesperson said.
In an interview after the game, Judge called Romano a "class act" for handing the ball back to Britton.
"He's one of the best in the game. It definitely means a lot. I gotta try and find him and thank him," he added.
In a video shared to MLB.com, Judge can be seen taking photos with the historic ball alongside his mother, who watched all three games in Toronto in anticipation of the big moment. He says the ball has now been "locked up" by the Yankees equipment manager.
Overall, Judge called the moment “an incredible honour” in an interview following the game and said he felt relieved.
With files from The Canadian Press.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.