But the Yankees thought Judge was safe at first and called for a video review. As the play was shown on the large video board, something else became apparent to the 48,000 paying customers at Yankee Stadium, plus the Houston dugout: Judge had failed to again touch second base on his race back to first. By rule, a runner must do so if he is retreating on the basepaths.
“The screen is as big as the state of New York,” Astros Manager A. J. Hinch said. “We could see he didn’t touch second base on the way back.”
But first came the Yankees’ appeal of the play at first. The umpires ruled that Judge was indeed safe, that he had beaten the Houston throw and was not doubled off.
Credit
Hilary Swift for The New York Times
Then it was the Astros’ turn. Hinch went to the umpires and notified them that he would be making an appeal (not to be confused with a video review request) that Judge failed to touch second base when he ran back to first.
But the Yankees also saw that…
