Clearly, Aaron Judge has been the best player for the New York Yankees until the All-Star break this year. Albeit, he did not start as well as he wanted to in this ongoing season. He was going through an early season slump after he sustained an abs injury during the Spring Training. The first month of the 2024 regular season was not very kind to the 2022 AL MVP. He struggled to hit the ball long. Moreover, the Yankees captain took seven games to hit his first home run in April. Then, the home crowd was not very kind either, as the captain had to deal with booing in the Yankee Stadium. However, Aaron Judge turned things around in the month of May.
Once he did, there was no going back, as at present, the captain of the Bronx Bombers is leading the list of most home runs this season. Prior to the All-Star break, the Yankees superstar has already hit 34 HRs. That’s another Yankee record for the California native. Again, he surpassed Roger Maris on another record. He is also the hot favorite to win the AL MVP this year. But the top contender for the 2024 AL MVP heaped praise for the Pittsburgh Pirates pitching “Phenom,” Paul Skenes.
Aaron Judge Praised Pirate’s Pitching Sensation
In May, the Pittsburgh Pirates gave the call-up to Paul Skenes, and since then, he has just wowed everybody in the league. On Tuesday, the Pirates “Phenom” will notch another milestone under his belt. After all, he will start the All-Star Game for the National League. This season, Paul Skenes has a 1.90 ERA over 11 starts. Moreover, he really has earned the opportunity in the All-Star game. On Monday, during the All-Star Game media availability, Aaron Judge expressed huge praise on the Pirate’s pitcher. He believes it won’t be Skenes’ last All-Star Game appearance. There is a good chance that Judge will have to face Skenes at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The Yankees captain mentioned that after getting the chance to watch a couple of games of Skenes as he got the call-up, he feels, “It’s special and electric stuff.”
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Moreover, Aaron Judge explained that people can talk about the velocity of his throws and what he has been doing. Nonetheless, he believes Skenes is “A pitcher, man.” Judge added that the Pirates “Phenom” can work all of his pitches, “Three, four, five, and all.” Also, the Yankees slugger said Skenes can throw it to every part of the strike zone any count. Finally, the reigning AL MVP said that Paul is a complete pitcher. The Yankees captain added that it is going to be fun as everybody is looking forward to seeing him on the mound.
Yankees Teammate Echoed Judge In Praising Paul Skenes
Despite everybody would like to see a contest between Aaron Judge and Paul Skenes in the All-Star Game, there is a chance that he won’t face the hurler. But Juan Soto on MLB Network’s broadcast mentioned that that he will ensure Judge faces Skenes. The Yankees captain was there alongside Soto on Monday night right before the MLB Home Run Derby.
Juan Soto said the Pirates hurler is incredible. He praised Skenes for the performances he has been putting in being so young. Like Judge, Soto said, “It’s pretty electric stuff. Hence, we’ll see how it goes.” Moreover, Judge joked that the approach while facing Skenes should be not to blink because “The ball is coming in pretty fast.”
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