Vince Velasquez made his case for a rotation spot by throwing five solid innings against the Yankees, working through their top lineup and ending his night after 71 pitches. He got into some minor trouble but escaped with a double play and looked sharp overall. Joe Girardi wanted him to throw more pitches, so despite officially being done, Velasquez went back out for extra work after the inning ended. That’s when things got weird. Aaron Judge stepped in, with the scoreboard already showing three outs, and smashed a fastball for a home run. Velasquez took it in stride, calling it pointless, while Judge half-joked about whether it even counted.
The moment brought some confusion, especially with Judge rounding the bases in what was essentially a non-play scenario. Neil Walker reminded him it didn’t count, but then there was talk it might, depending on how seriously the Yankees were treating the scrimmage. Deedee Gregorius and Phil Nevin were amused. Velasquez shrugged it off, saying it was still a good outing. Meanwhile, Judge continued his absurd stretch of preseason power, hitting his 14th homer in three games. The game ended in a 2–2 tie, but that extra run Judge brought in caused a stir among anyone who had money on the game, since it may or may not have officially counted.