Aaron Judge getting drilled by an HBP on Tuesday ignited a new AL-East rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles. The much promising series took a wild turn after Judge and Gleyber Torres both were hit by a pitch in the same game. And Judge’s exit from the game added more spice to the drama.
The New York Yankees captain had bruises and swelling on his bottom left hand following the blow and ended up missing Wednesday’s game as a precautionary measure. However, a hungry Aaron Judge was itching to seek revenge, and Aaron Boone allowed him to return to the lineup on Thursday to accomplish his quest.
Aaron Judge Homers In Rather Off Night For Yankees
The New York Yankees-Baltimore Orioles new age rivalry took shape on Tuesday after captain Aaron Judge was drilled by a 94 mph fastball off Albert Suarez. While Judge survived a major bone or ligament injury, the huge blow was enough to keep him out of the lineup on Wednesday, where the Yanks went down the hill with a narrow 7-6 loss. Nonetheless, to seek revenge, Judge returned to the lineup on Thursday and was pencilled in his usual centre field position. That being said, while the Yanks had a terrible night thanks to Luis Gil’s rare seven-run 1.1 innings implosion, Judge ended up being the only ray of sunshine in the brutal 17-5 series finale loss.
Aaron Judge shut down the Orioles in his signature style with a two-run homer over the right centre field in the third inning to reduce the Oriole’s lead to 8-3. He also ripped an RBI single to left to drive in Anthony Volpe at home. However, the New York Yankees let Judge’s heroics go down to waste as the deficit became irrecoverable. And hence, Aaron Boone removed Judge and Juan Soto from the outfield in the eighth inning.
That being said, Aaron Judge’s 27th-season home run brought some smiles to Yankee fans’ faces. Interestingly, Boone revealed that Judge is not yet 100% healed. While the captain gave the skipper a green light, the slugger was still experiencing some pain and swelling in his left hand. He was also seen wearing an extra guard on the left hand on Thursday, just in case Orioles pitchers go rogue again.
Judge Expects Fierce Competition With Orioles All-Season Long
After the series loss, the New York Yankees’ lead to the Baltimore Orioles in AL-East was reduced to half a game. And captain Aaron Judge expects fierce competition from the defending AL-East champions all season long. “It’s going to be back and forth all the way until the end of September, that’s for sure,” Judge said.
Aaron Judge lauded the Orioles’ competitiveness, saying the team has a young bunch of boys who play good and fast. They proved their potential last year by winning the division despite the series loss, and Judge enjoyed the rivalry. However, this year, the Yankees aim to reclaim the division crown by outclassing the Orioles.
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