Does Yankees' Aaron Judge think fans interfered on Red Sox's deciding home run?

by Felix Pantaleón

Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez hit a eighth-inning home run that Aaron Judge just missed at the right-field wall Thursday, May 10, 2018 (5/10/18) at Yankee Stadium. The home run gave Boston a 5-4 win in the final game of a three-game series against the Yankees.

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NEW YORK — Yankee Stadium security booted the fan who caught J.D. Martinez‘s home run that put the Red Sox ahead for good.

Maybe they shouldn’t have.

“There (was) no interference,” Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge told reporters after a 5-4 loss to Boston on Thursday night.

Takeaways from Yankees’ loss to Sox

Judge leaped at the wall to catch Martinez’s high fly off reliever Dellin Betances to start the eighth inning. Two fans converged near Judge’s outstretched glove and snared it.

That gave Boston their final lead. It broke the Yankees’ eight-game winning streak and pushed the Red Sox back into a tie with the Yankees first place in the American League East. Both teams are 26-11.

It was difficult to tell via replay if the fans had touched Judge at any point.

Judge said he thought what they did was fine.

“Interference, I mean, once it goes past that imaginary line right there above the wall, it’s fair game for them,” he said.

He added, “If I get in a better position to make the play — that last 5 feet, the ball kind of faded toward my right and I just missed it.”

Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked if Judge told him whether the fans interfered.

“No,” Boone said. I’ll say again, no. The way (Judge) acted, he felt like he didn’t quite get over there. I’ll talk to him some more. I didn’t sense that.”

The home run came off Betances, who was working his second inning.

The right-field corner is marked at 314 feet. The ball may have traveled 315 feet.