What to do with Judge out? Borrow his bat for a clutch homer, of course

NEW YORK -- There is no replacing Aaron Judge’s presence in the Yankees’ lineup. Jazz Chisholm Jr. carried the next best thing to home plate: his bat.

After Cody Bellinger launched a tiebreaking home run, Chisholm followed by borrowing the captain’s lumber, cracking a three-run homer in a big eighth inning that powered the Yankees’ 6-1 victory over the Red Sox on Sunday at Yankee Stadium.

“When I pick up his bat, I know I can’t swing as hard as I can,” Chisholm said. “I feel like it just helps me to go out there and control the barrel and just try to touch the ball instead of trying to hit it so hard.”

Putting the finishing touches on a five-run frame, it was at least the third time Chisholm has rifled through the rack in search of Judge’s 35-inch, 33-ounce bat, a weightier choice than the 34-inch, 31-ounce models Chisholm orders for himself.

Using one of Judge’s bats, Chisholm homered in his second game as a Yankee on July 29, 2024, at Philadelphia, going deep off a position player. He stroked an extra-base hit using one last April against the Orioles, but whipped it so hard that he injured his right oblique.

After striking out in each of his first three at-bats against left-hander Ranger Suarez, the equipment swap was exactly what he needed.

“I was swinging and missing when I thought I was hitting the ball, so I was just seeing if the bat would change that,” Chisholm said. “Sometimes you need a little bit more weight and a little bit less in your swing.”

Chisholm allowed the bat to do most of the work, keeping his swing compact to barrel a Joe La Sorsa sinker for his eighth homer of the season.

“I like when he does that,” manager Aaron Boone said.

Chisholm said he didn’t bother to ask Judge if he could borrow the bat, calling it a “big brother, little brother” situation: “You just go pick out a bat.”

That’s in character for Chisholm, who has borrowed pants from Trent Grisham and Giancarlo Stanton this season, plus the bats of Bellinger, José Caballero and others. The only ones he steers clear of belong to Paul Goldschmidt and Stanton; they’re too difficult for Chisholm to swing.

Bellinger said he has swung one of Judge’s bats in the cage, acknowledging, “It feels good. I’m not going to lie, it’s a heavy bat, but it doesn’t feel that heavy.”

Against game competition, Bellinger prefers to stick to his own 33 1/2-inch, 31 1/2-ounce model. He’d be fine with a teammate borrowing his, noting, “If you want to use my bat, go ahead.”

And they just might, considering there are definitely hits in them.

“The way he just goes up there and swings the bat, he gets perfect spin off the bat,” Chisholm said. “I still don’t see how he hits the ball like that perfectly.”

Barreling a Justin Slaten cutter that the hurler called a “[crappy] pitch,” Bellinger’s timely drive sparked an offense that had been handcuffed most of the afternoon, with Suarez and Cam Schlittler each permitting a run.

Grisham also had a run-scoring single in the eighth, part of a three-hit showing.

“We gave ourselves some opportunities, and then obviously really got it going there in the eighth,” Boone said.

Bellinger’s return was the most significant move of the Yankees’ “run it back” offseason, resulting in a five-year, $162.5 million deal. That news broke on a late January day, when Boone and pitching coach Matt Blake were in the Bronx, preparing for a spring camp that was just weeks away.

Blake saw the alert flash upon his phone first, informing Boone. Asked Sunday how he’d reacted, Boone replied the same way Homer Simpson might about a box of workroom donuts or free beers at Moe’s: *"Woo-hoo!"*

And why not? With the Yankees now past the one-third mark of their season, Bellinger has provided plenty to cheer about, both in the dugout and in the stands. Since May 1, Bellinger is batting .303 (36-for-119) with six homers, 26 RBIs and a .962 OPS.

“I just want to help contribute every day,” Bellinger said. “I want to help win every single day. That’s what I strive to do. I’m glad I was able to do that today.”