Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees star slugger, landed in a huge controversy this week. The reigning AL-MVP was accused of cheating by the Toronto Blue Jays broadcasters earlier this week. The incident in question occurred during the eighth inning of Monday’s game between the Yankees and Blue Jays. Apparently, the slugger peaked at his dugout while taking his stride, which raised suspicion. And Blue Jays officials suggested that Judge made an attempt to steal a sign from the Yankee’s third base coach on the upcoming pitches.
However, Aaron Judge denied all the allegations and claimed innocence. The Captain explained that his teammates were chirping a lot during his at-bat, which he did not approve of. Hence, he glanced at the dugout to know the players involved in the act so that he could confront them after the game. Well, the Blue Jays disagreed and further perpetuated the whole incident. Amid this, a former Yankees pitcher has shared his thoughts on how he would respond during such situations.
Former Yankees Pitcher Says Plunking The Hitter Is The Only Way To Stop Him From Stealing Signs
The controversy surrounding Aaron Judge is unlikely to die down anytime soon. Over the week, many have weighed in their thoughts on the situation. However, a former Yankees pitcher, Lance Lynn’s words have caught the fans’ attention. In a candid interview, Lance Lynn recently made a bold statement regarding his approach to stopping alleged sign-stealing attempts. The interviewer asked him the best way to deal with a hitter who is trying to steal signs, referring to Aaron Judge’s case. Lynn responded in a heartbeat that he would deliberately throw a pitch on the ribs of the batter to rattle him. The pitcher feels that is the only way to stop someone from stealing signs.
The comments are viewed of extreme nature by the fans. Plunking someone with fast pitches is a form of a dangerous act in baseball and can cause serious injuries. However, it is important to note that intentionally throwing a pitch at a batter is against the rules and might lead to disciplinary action by the league. That being said, Aaron Judge has grabbed the spotlights for the wrong reasons this week. He needs to find ways to rebuild his tarnished image. It’s not good for the sport when one of its best players gets accused of using unfair means. Regardless, there’s no proof of Judge’s alleged attempt to steal signs, and he’s already made his stance clear. It would be intriguing to see how long this issue gets dragged on.
MLB Analyst Jumps In To Defend Aaron Judge Amid Cheating Accusations
Amid the cheating allegations, Yankees captain Aaron Judge has found support from the baseball community. Renowned MLB Analyst Jon Heyman weighed his thoughts on the whole fiasco and delivered his verdict. Jon said not everything you see is true, and whatever Judge was looking at, he was not cheating. The analyst further explained his point by saying that you cannot glance sideways and hit a 462-foot homer the very next moment. Hence, claiming that the slugger tried to cheat during the moment does not make sense at all.
On the other hand, Aaron Judge, the man at the center of the controversy, tried to avoid the matter. However, the nasty things said about his integrity towards the sport irked the slugger. Hence, he decided to subtly give it back in the very next game. Judge drove a single to secure the first base and celebrated it by closing his eyes while pointing at the Yankees dugout. It was meant to mock the cheating allegation leveled against him.