WATCH: Aaron Judge unfazed after getting hit on the ribs with 96 mph fastball in ALCS Game 5
Aaron Judge is unquestionably one of the most imposing hitters in the MLB, and on Saturday night, he arguably submitted his case for being the most physically tough as well. The New York Yankees captain got hit on the ribs with a 96-mph fastball from Tanner Bibee of the Cleveland Guardians during Game 5 of the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field.
Bleacher Report Walk-Off posted a clip of the hit-by-pitch incident on X, formerly Twitter.
The event occurred at the top of the first inning. Aaron Judge stepped up to the plate for the Yankees to face Guardians starting pitcher Tanner Bibee, with Juan Soto standing as the runner on first and one out.
For his ninth pitch of the outing, the Guardians starter attempted to challenge Judge on a 1-1 count with a fastball on the inside part of the strike zone. Bibee delivered a 96-mph two-seamer that unfortunately ran too far inside and struck the Yankees slugger squarely on the ribs.
However, Aaron Judge showed that he not only possesses a massive physique, but he is just as durable as his hulking body suggests. The Yankees slugger took the blow without much fuss as he casually moved over to take the free pass with only a slight grimace on his face.
Television replays showed Tanner Bibee actually had a more distorted expression on his face than Aaron Judge, as the Guardians pitcher looked pained for hitting the Yankees batter. Judge took a few moments at first base to recuperate from the blow before signaling to the dugout that he was okay to continue on the field.
Aaron Judge struggles but Yankees through to World Series
Although Judge was able to continue despite getting hit on the ribs by a pitch in the first inning, he did not have much effect in the game. Judge went 0-4 on the night without getting on base even once, so there may have been some lingering effects from the blow that hampered his performance with the bat.
Nevertheless, the other two mighty Yankees sluggers, Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton, delivered in a couple of clutch situations to come from behind and push the team to victory. Stanton hit a two-run homer to even the scores in the sixth inning before Juan Soto crushed a game-winning three-run blast to seal a 7-5 win in the 10th inning.
As a result, the New York Yankees have won the AL pennant for the first time in 15 years and will make their first World Series appearance since they last won it in 2009.