Aaron Judge was no match for this Logan Gilbert splitter, a breakdown #mlb #yankees #aaronjudge

In the bottom of the ninth inning, the New York Yankees trail the Seattle Mariners by one run. Slugger Aaron Judge steps up to the plate, representing the Yankees' last chance to tie the game. On the mound is Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert, who has been dominant all evening with his nasty splitter pitch. Gilbert rears back and unleashes a splitter that dives sharply down and away from the right-handed Judge. The All-Star outfielder swings over the top of the pitch, completely fooled by the late movement. "It's just spinning, rotating like a spaceship," the analyst observes. "It's no tumble effect to it." The replay shows Gilbert's grip on the splitter - his pointer finger gently pulling on the seam, with his middle finger rotating the ball sideways to create that diving action. "That gives it the downward movement underneath the bat because they swing over the top," the analyst explains. "Really cool pitch. Takes a while to figure out how to do that and aim it, and it blows my mind every time." Judge trudges back to the dugout, his hopes of leading a late-inning comeback dashed by Gilbert's unhittable splitter. The Mariners hold on to win the crucial game, further tightening the American League Wild Card race. "That was a tough one to swallow," a dejected Judge says postgame. "That splitter just dropped out of the zone on me. Tip your cap to Gilbert, he really had his stuff working tonight." The loss is a tough blow for the playoff-contending Yankees, but they know they'll have to find a way to solve Gilbert's splitter if they want to make a deep postseason run. As the two teams prepare to square off again tomorrow, the stage is set for another tense battle between these AL powerhouses.