Yankees' Phil Nevin pushes back on criticism over sending Aaron Judge home: 'I didn’t hesitate at all'

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New York Yankees third base coach Phil Nevin was the subject of immense criticism Tuesday night when he waved Aaron Judge home in the middle of a tight playoff game against the Boston Red Sox.

The play came in the sixth inning with Judge on first and Giancarlo Stanton at the plate. Stanton hit a towering shot off the Green Monster. The Red Sox played it perfectly with their relay and threw Judge out a home. The play sent Twitter into a frenzy and put Nevin in the spotlight.

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New York Yankees' Aaron Judge is tagged out at the plate by Boston Red Sox catcher Kevin Plawecki as he tries to score on a single by Giancarlo Stanton in the sixth inning of an American League Wild Card playoff baseball game at Fenway Park, Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Nevin explained to the New York Post he thought he was in the right by making the aggressive move.

"There were a lot of factors. I did see the low throw [from center fielder Kiké Hernandez]. It was off line, as well. I factored in the wet surface, which ended up being the demise [of the play], because it was a quick skip into [Xander] Bogaerts’ glove. He made a great baseball play and throw home," he said.

He said he made a "play to win the game" and that it didn’t work out.

ESPN’s Alex Rodriguez criticized Nevin from the broadcast booth. The former All-Star wasn’t about to hear it from the former Yankees star.

Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees is tagged out by Kevin Plawecki of the Boston Red Sox during the sixth inning of the American League Wild Card game at Fenway Park on Oct. 5, 2021, in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

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"The guy has never been in that situation, but thinks he has a good idea of what baseball is in that spot and he’s wrong. He’s never been in that position," he told the New York Post.

"I didn’t hesitate at all. I was in the right position, made the right read [and] had conviction in my send. But I get it. I get why people are upset and people are mad."

Third base coach Phil Nevin of the New York Yankees in the dugout before the game against the Oakland Athletics at RingCentral Coliseum on Aug. 26, 2021, in Oakland, California. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images)

New York would lose to Boston 6-2 and get eliminated from the MLB Postseason early.

Yankees starter Gerrit Cole was tagged for a few runs and left the game in the third inning.

"This is the worst feeling in the world," Cole said after the game. "All the good that maybe put us in this opportunity or the good that you did in the regular season, there’s really nothing you can do to make it feel any better."

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Boston will now face the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Division Series.