The New York Yankees can always bet on their captain, Aaron Judge, especially given the form he is in 2024. Last year was not kind for the NY side. Most of their players were on the Injured List once or twice. Moreover, the California native suffered a terrible toe injury that later turned out to be a torn ligament after a collision at the Los Angeles Dodgers fence. On top of that, pitchers like Carlos Rodon and Nestor Cortes had a terrible season in 2023. They were not 100% healthy either. That affected their productivity as well, and it cost the Yankees dearly.
Finally, the Bronx Bombers failed to make the postseason for the first time since 2016. Due to too many injuries, the Pinstripes could not make the playoffs last year. They would not want that to repeat this year as well. Anyway, most of the players who had a tough time in 2023, like Judge and Rodon, are turning things around in the ongoing season. Moreover, these two guys played an important role in helping the Yankees win in the recent series opener against the Colorado Rockies.
Yankees Beat Rockies In Series Opener, Thanks To Carlos Rodon And Aaron Judge
Early in the 2024 regular season, the starting pitching unit of the Yankees was their backbone for success. But mid-way in the season, they started to fade away a little bit. Lately, though, that same unit seems to emerge once again to lead the team back to dominance like they did early in the season. On Friday, Carlos Rodon followed the footsteps of the ace Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes. After all, he became the third consecutive Yankee starting hurler to pitch a scoreless outing. That night, Rodon pitched six shutout innings to help the NY side win 3-0 against the Colorado Rockies at Yankee Stadium. Moreover, it was the third straight victory for the Bronx Bombers.
On the other hand, there is no stopping Aaron Judge. The captain is doing what he does best. On Friday night, he drilled his 49th home run of the season. When the California native keeps doing what he is famous for doing, it becomes a successful combination with the starting pitching unit. As per Greg Joyce of the New York Post, the starters of the NY side have pitched “19 straight scoreless innings.” Moreover, these starters have blanked their opponents in four of the last five starts. Even more specifically, they have blanked the opponents in five of the last seven and six of their last nine starts.
The Yankees Captain Happy With The Starters Coming Back Stronger
Aaron Judge told Greg Joyce that it is a huge boost for the team as the starting pitchers are beginning to figure it out after a little rough stretch. Moreover, the captain feels good things are about to happen if the starters keep giving them a couple of zeroes early and allow their offense to get working. He believes they have an offense that can win them any game.
And of course, he is the biggest pillar of the batting lineup. Aaron Boone, the manager, mentioned in the post-game interview, on Friday that everybody’s witnessing greatness as Judge got to 49 homers this season. Moreover, the manager added, “I’m running out of words, it’s just that Judge is kind of better than everyone else.”
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