AL-East competitors, the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles couldn’t keep their hands off each other on Friday night as a hit-by-pitch incident triggered a physical shuffle. Both sides threw punches, and Orioles manager Brandon Hyde was ejected for instigating the brawl.
That being said, the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles appeared to have learnt their lessons as they stayed quite on Saturday before the hosts displayed their true colours during Sunday’s series finale. Orioles right-handed pitcher Dean Kremer targeted Yankee captain and superstar slugger Aaron Judge in wha appeared to be an intentional and revengeful hit.
Dean Kremer Avenges Teammate Heston Kjerstad By Plunking Aaron Judge On Sunday!
The New York Yankees series opener against the Baltimore Orioles witnessed a heated brawl as benches cleared on Friday after Heston Kjerstad got hit in the head by Clay Holmes’ slippery slider. Brandon Hyde accused the Yankee dugout of awful chirping, which pushed him to lose his cool. While the shuffle died down on Friday, both sides claimed not to let the incident spill over for the rest of the series until Dean Kremer chose otherwise. On Sunday, during the series finale, Orioles right-handed pitcher Deam Kremer plunked Yankee captain Aaron Judge on the elbow with a 94 mph fastball. Fortunately, the elbow guard saved Judge from getting severely injured. However, fans and analysts were confident that Kremer’s actions were intentional.
Notably, Heston Kjerstad landed on a 7-day concussion IL following Friday’s HBP incident, and hence, the Orioles felt the need to avenge their teammate. And Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees captain and in-form slugger, appeared a soft target to make a statement. But this time, the New York Yankees chose not to react, and Judge carried on with the game as usual. He went scoreless with two walks in a rare, quiet outing, with the Baltimore Orioles escaping the sweeping threat with stunning walk-off runs from Cedric Mullins in the ninth inning. Overall, the New York Yankee-Baltimore Orioles rivalry has just begun. Both the series held in the season witnessed some heated and competitive moments, with some being more fierce than the other. And the fight in the division is expected to continue for the rest of the tournament as both AL-East heavyweights compete to claim division supremacy.
Aaron Judge Reflects On Yankees-Orioles Boiling Rivalry
Meanwhile, following the Friday brawl, the New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge reflected on his team’s rivalry with Baltimore Orioles stating that the brawl was a result of the boiling tensions between the two teams. He added how several hit by pitch incidents happened during the season kind of escalated the heat that spilled over on Friday.
However, Aaron Judge admitted that New York Yankees do not plan on escalating the tensions anymore. Their key focus and primary goal is to win games as they have struggled with a losing streak off lately. However, the Orioles thought otherwise as Dean Kremer sought revenge on Judge on Sunday by plunking him in the elbow.
To stay up-to-date with the New York Yankees 2024 season, keep following Sports News International