What Aaron Judge had to say about Joe Kelly’s triple-digit fastballs
With a runner on first base and his team down 5-3 in the seventh inning, Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge looked to provide a spark of offense against the Red Sox.
But the rookie couldn’t connect for a hit on any of Joe Kelly’s pitches, fouling off three before striking out. In addition to throwing a fastball that clocked at 104 mph on the stadium radar gun, Kelly recorded three other pitches north of 100 mph and mixed in a 92-mph slider.
Joe Kelly v. Aaron Judge pic.twitter.com/PQEUFRd20z
— Red Sox Stats (@redsoxstats) June 7, 2017
Judge — who David Ortiz said is “the scariest thing” he’s ever seen — had high praise for Kelly after the game.
“The guy can throw 104 and then throw you a 92-mph slider,” he said, via MLB.com. “Plus, he’s got a good curveball and a changeup. He’s a good pitcher, man. He goes out there and competes. He comes right at you. Those are fun at-bats. Those are at-bats you want to have. He just went out there and executed and did his job.”
The Red Sox dugout was also in awe, as they watched the two going head to head.
“Power vs. power,” Jackie Bradley Jr. said. “I was actually surprised at some of the balls that he was catching up with. I was like, ‘God, how is Aaron getting to that ball?’ That was amazing for him to be so big, and everything is quick, fast, and to have that short swing. Like you said, power against power, and fortunately for us, Joe won that battle.”
“I think any time Aaron Judge walks to the plate, all eyes go to him because of the way he’s swinging the bat,” manager John Farrell echoed. “Joe with just some big-time velocity. Finishes him off with a powerful slider. A classic matchup inside an otherwise well-played game all the way around.”
