SAN FRANCISCO — Aaron Judge hasn’t needed any help at the plate, having won three of the past four AL MVP awards with some of the most productive seasons in history.
But for years, he’s been the victim of more than his fair share of called strikes that have appeared to be below the zone.
So the automated ball-strike system figured to be especially valuable for him.
On Friday, Judge used it for the first time and — not surprisingly — it resulted in a home run.
The key hit in a 3-0 win over the Giants at Oracle Park, the homer was set up after Judge got ahead of lefty Robbie Ray 1-0 in his third at-bat, and Ray followed with a slider that was called a strike by home plate umpire Chad Fairchild.
With Paul Goldschmidt on second in a scoreless game in the top of the sixth, Judge challenged the call and it proved to be a fraction of an inch low.
He eventually worked the count full before slamming a 405-foot homer to left to give the Yankees the lead.
“I thought the call was gonna stand,” Judge said. “It was a close one.”
But he believed the challenge was worth it, with a runner in scoring position in a tie game and Ray — along with Cam Schlittler — rolling.
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“I’m not gonna sit here and challenge every one I think is close, but in a big spot, if I’ve got a chance to flip the count, I’m gonna do it,’’ Judge said. “I’ve still got to go up there and do the job as a hitter. All it takes is one pitch — like we saw in that at-bat.”
Cody Bellinger knows better than most how often pitches below Judge’s knees have been called strikes, at least since last season.
“He’s so tall, sometimes he gets rung up on that,” Bellinger said. “I see it since I hit behind him all the time. [ABS] is gonna be good for him. He knows the [strike] zone really well.”
As Judge noted, though, simply winning the challenge was no guarantee of success in the at-bat.
But it didn’t hurt.
Still getting accustomed to the ABS system, Judge called it “weird” to use it for the first time in a regular-season game.
“It’s a part of the game and you’ve got to get used to it,’’ said Judge, who went hitless and struck out four times in the opener and was 0-for-2 with another strikeout in his first two at-bats Friday. “I’m a hitter. I’ve got to focus on hitting.”
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It worked well Friday, as Judge got the fourth hit of his career against Ray, all of which have been home runs.
And it was Judge’s fourth homer in five career games in San Francisco — against the team he grew up rooting for in nearby Linden, Calif.
This one, of course, was different and showed how much more dangerous he may become.
“We can use it as a weapon, but you’ve still got to play the game,’’ Judge said. “To have a challenge in your back pocket is nice in certain situations, [like] high-leverage. We’ll see how it goes.”
