Jake Faria Averts Disaster With Miraculous Catch Of 109-MPH Aaron Judge Comebacker

Comebackers are some of the scariest events in sports. A comebacker fractured Juan Nicasio’s skull and broke his neck in 2011; a comebacker broke Mike Mussina’s nose in 1998 and for a while poisoned him with the fear ; last season a Joe Mauer comebacker broke Alex Wilson’s lower leg.

No team has scarier comebacker potential in 2018 than the Yankees, who’ve been responsible for a whopping 24 of the 35 hardest-hit dingers in the majors this season. These fellows are dangerous! Tuesday night Aaron Judge ripped a 3–2 fastball back at pitcher Jacob Faria at a terrifying 108.5 miles per hour, and this thing looked like it was laser guided at Faria’s face:

That’s got to be more self-preservation than any baseball reflex, but that Faria was alert enough to check the runners on first and third after almost literally saving his own life is just incredible. The Rays are playing matchups all game long Tuesday night, so thankfully, after taking a few moments to exhale out some of the adrenaline, Faria was removed from the game without facing another batter.