Yankees' Aaron Judge makes 3 outstanding catches, robs Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong of home run

NEW YORK (AP) — As Aaron Judge jumped above the wall and tumbled to the turf, Carlos Rodón worried.

“I’m like, `Pplease don’t dive. Please stay on your feet,'” the New York Yankees pitcher said. “Obviously, I wanted him to dive there and he made the play and I’m grateful he got up because that’s a big body.”

Judge made three outstanding catches in right field on Friday night, saving three runs in an 11-0 rout of the Chicago Cubs that extended the New York Yankees’ winning streak to five following a six-game slide. Cody Bellinger hit a trio of two-run homers against his former team.

A two-time MVP at age 33, Judge gets attention for his offense: a major league-best .354 average with 34 homers and 79 RBIs. His defense is just as striking.

The 6-foot-7, 282-pound Judge leaped at the right-field wall to catch a 327-foot drive by Peter Crow-Armstrong against Rodón in the fourth inning, preventing would have been Crow-Armstrong's 26th home run.

“I think robbing a homer is probably the best, just to keep a run off the board,” Judge said.

When Judge caught the ball, it was about 15 inches over the top of the wall. PCA waved an arm at him in frustration and acknowledgement.

“He knows we work hard for our hits and our homers,” Crow-Armstrong said. “He’s having an unbelievable year and that was me just being like, come on man, like you got to take them away too?”

Judge's glove avoided the outstretched arms of a fan in a Yankees jersey, who reached over the fence with one hand but missed the ball. After the grab, Judge bowed his head and smiled.

“I’ve hit a couple fans already this year, so I tried to make sure I didn’t get that one,” Judge said.

Two pitches later, Judge rushed in and made a sliding backhand grab on Dansby Swanson's sinking liner for the third out of the inning. By the mound, Rodón held out his hands while shaking his head in amazement.

With runners at the corners, two outs in the eighth and a full count, Judge sprinted to deny Kyle Tucker of an extra-base hit, catching the ball just before the right-field foul line and sliding on his chest across the warning track. His pinstripes were soiled with dirt when he got up.

“It’s tough, but it’s my job. I got a job to do out there. That’s why they got me playing out there,” he said. “If the ball’s hit in your direction, you got to make a play.”

Judge's catch caught Aaron Boone's attention.

“My first thought was a little nervous, just going over there and sliding on the dirt pretty hard, like making sure the big guy was OK,” the manager said.

Judge doesn't think about sprained right big toe sustained when he ran into the Dodger Stadium fence on June 3, 2023, causing him to miss 42 games and hit far from his standard when he returned.

“That was kind of a freak thing,” Judge said. “You can’t let it hold me back.”

He took time after his last catch to gain his composure.

“I felt like I was running a mile to get to that ball,” he said. “I don’t think I’m getting older but sometimes it feels like it after it catches like that.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

New York Yankees players, including outfielder Aaron Judge, second from right, celebrate after winning a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Friday, July 11, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge walks onto the field during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Friday, July 11, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

New York Yankees' Cody Bellinger, right, celebrates with Aaron Judge, left, after hitting a home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Friday, July 11, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

New York Yankees players celebrate with outfielder Aaron Judge, center, after the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Friday, July 11, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge strikes out during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Friday, July 11, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

New York Yankees designated hitter Aaron Judge runs after hitting a sacrifice fly during the 10th inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Thursday, July 10, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — Dozens of people are presumed dead and about 100 injured, most of them seriously, following a fire at a Swiss Alps bar during a New Year’s celebration, police said Thursday.

“Several tens of people” were killed at the bar, Le Constellation, Valais Canton police commander Frédéric Gisler said.

Work is underway to identify the victims and inform their families but “that will take time and for the time being it is premature to give you a more precise figure," Gisler said.

Beatrice Pilloud, attorney general of the Valais Canton, said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire. Experts have not yet been able to go inside the wreckage.

“At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack,” Pilloud said.

Officials called the blaze an “embrasement généralisé,” a firefighting term describing how a blaze can trigger the release of combustible gases that can then ignite violently and cause what English-speaking firefighters would call a flashover or a backdraft.

“This evening should have been a moment of celebration and coming together, but it turned into a nightmare,” said Mathias Rénard, head of the regional government.

The injured were so numerous that the intensive care unit and operating theater at the regional hospital quickly hit full capacity, Rénard said.

Helicopters and ambulances rushed to the scene to assist victims, including some from different countries, officials said.

“We are devastated,” Frédéric Gisler, commander of the Valais Cantonal police, said during a news conference.

The injured were so numerous that the intensive care unit and operating theater at the regional hospital quickly hit full capacity, according to regional councilor Mathias Rénard.

The municipality had banned New Year’s Eve fireworks due to lack of rainfall in the past month, according to its website.

In a region busy with tourists skiing on the slopes, the authorities have called on the local population to show caution in the coming days to avoid any accidents that could require medical resources that are already overwhelmed.

The community is in the heart of the Swiss Alps, just 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the Matterhorn, one of the most famous Alpine peaks, and 130 kilometers (81 miles) south of Zurich.

The highest point of Crans-Montana, with a population of 10,000 residents, sits at an elevation of nearly 3,000 meters (1.86 miles), according to the municipality’s website, which says officials are seeking to move away from a tourist culture and attract high-tech research and development.

The municipality was formed only nine years ago, on Jan. 1, 2017, when multiple towns merged. It extends over 590 hectares (2.3 square miles) from the Rhône Valley to the Plaine Morte glacier.

Crans-Montana is one of the top race venues on the World Cup circuit in Alpine skiing and will host the next world championships over two weeks in February 2027.

In four weeks’ time, the resort will host the best men’s and women’s downhill racers for their last events before going to the Milan Cortina Olympics, which open Feb. 6.

Crans-Montana also is a premium venue in international golf. The Crans-sur-Sierre club stages the European Masters each August on a picturesque course with stunning mountains views.

From left, Mathias Reynard, State Councillor and president of the Council of State of the Canton of Valais, Stephane Ganzer, State Councillor and head of the Department of Security, Institutions and Sport of the Canton of Valais, Frederic Gisler, Commander of the Valais Cantonal Police, Beatrice Pilloud, Attorney General of the Canton of Valais and Nicole Bonvin-Clivaz, Vice-President of the Municipal Council of Crans-Montana during a press conference in Lens, following a fire that broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)

A skier walks in the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)

A banner stating that fireworks are prohibited due to the risk of fire is pictured near the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)

Police officers inspect the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)

Police officers inspect the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)

Police officers inspect the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)

Police officers inspect the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)