For the first time since his trade from Chicago to New York, Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger has delivered a standout performance — a solo Home Run Derby against his former team. He didn’t just go deep once or twice, but three times, launching a trio of towering homers.

And as if that wasn’t impressive enough, Bellinger’s 18th multi-homer night marked the 40th three-homer game in Yankees history, making him just the 29th player in franchise lore to pull off the feat — and he was nearly the first to add a fourth, if not for a spectacular catch that robbed him of another long ball. Still, the Yankees have seamlessly handed an 11-0 loss on July 11th to the Chicago Cubs, with Bellinger achieving a two-run blast in the third inning. Next, he crushed another two-run shot during the fifth inning. It just keeps getting more impressive.

In the eighth inning, Bellinger then hit his third two-run blast to call it a night. But wait — while all he delivered already made the night unforgettable, he gave his fans another memory: his eighth-inning two-run blast that remained a tad extra special.

When Bellinger hit that tater, his former teammate Pete Crow-Armstrong almost robbed him of his historic homer. Yes, almost—the ball was caught by a fan from the stands, and not PCA. “I’m glad the fan caught it before PCA could grab it,” stated Bellinger, though nobody was sure who caught the ball at first. That is, until later, when Bellinger himself met the fan who caught the ball that popped out of Pete Crow-Armstrong’s glove.

When asked about how sure he was about his third homer, he said, “I didn’t know. I mean, I’ve seen PCA rob so many homers. He’s a freak athlete out there. But no, I just met that kid who caught it. So, you know, I gave him some love to take it out of PCA’s glove right there. I think he would have had it.” Well, who would know PCA better than his very own former teammate?

Reportedly, the shot had sailed right above PCA’s glove and straight into the hands of the young fan. If PCA had caught the ball, it would be a heroic defensive gem, and that’s what we would be talking about. Bellinger was probably lucky to have the ball stolen out of PCA’s glove by the fan, especially considering how PCA himself was less than fortunate in that department.

Was PCA robbed of a home run by Yankees’ star Aaron Judge in the 11-0 blowout win?

Given the way Aaron Judge is leading the league with his 34 home runs, you’d first expect the Yankees’ star to deliver once again at the plate. Against the Chicago Cubs on Friday night, however, it was Judge’s defensive plays that had all of us stunned. The moment most worth mentioning came, of course, against Pete Crow-Armstrong.

For the record, PCA had tried to rob Bellinger the same way in the same game, albeit unsuccessfully. But Judge is nothing short of a defensive asset himself. The Yankees were 3-0 ahead with Carlos Rodon on the mound, and when PCA dove in 1-1 with a fastball towards the right, it was a 327 feet in distance and just enough to easily clear the wall.

Judge, as we all know, is on his historic tear; he had perfect timing and planning to take PCA’s 26th home run of the season away from him. He made a sharp leap and reached to grab the ball as he stole the moment from PCA — and it didn’t end there. Following up, Judge also robbed Dansby Swanson — and needed no leap this time, just a firm grab.

Next,  Judge tracked Cubs’ hitter Kyle Tucker’s hit in the eighth inning, which looked dangerous. However, with ease, Judge reminded all three and the league that he’s a lot more than a power hitter. The Yankees can count on his defensive mechanism just as much as they count on him at the plate.

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