Report: Yankees’ Juan Soto sent strong message to Aaron Judge
Juan Soto comments on the Blue Jays’ strategy against Yankees star Aaron Judge.
New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge is one of the best in baseball when it comes to getting on base. On Sunday, the Toronto Blue Jays helped the former American League MVP boost his on-base percentage, but not in a way that pleased NY fans or Juan Soto.
“It sucks. You want him at the plate. I’m doing my best to put him up and you see them pass him over,” Soto said about the Blue Jays intentionally walking Judge three times in a 4-3 Yankees victory at home (h/t Chris Kirschner of The Athletic).
“It just really makes me mad. I don’t like that. I want them to challenge him and see what he can really do. It is what it is. It’s part of the game. They’re trying to win too, so you respect that,” Soto added.
Judge finished the game 1-for-2 with three walks. In his first at-bat, Judge struck out in the opening inning after a six-pitch battle against Blue Jays starter Yariel Rodriguez. In the third inning, Judge recorded his only hit, a single off Rodriguez.
When Rodriguez faced Judge again in the fifth inning, he intentionally walked the six-time All-Star after issuing a free pass to Soto. Judge was intentionally walked for the second time in the seventh inning by Genesis Cabrera. In the final inning, with the score tied at 3-3, Judge received another intentional walk from Ryan Burr, marking his last plate appearance in the game.
When Judge entered Sunday’s series finale, his 2024 MLB regular season OBP was .452. By the end of the game, it had risen to .456, leading the majors in OBP. Soto, who went 2-for-3 with a home run and two walks in the game, ranks second in the big leagues with a .437 OBP.
The Yankees feature a formidable duo at the top of their batting order with Soto and Judge batting back-to-back. However, the Blue Jays’ strategy in the series finale hindered their potential.
New York left 14 runners on base during the win over Toronto but was only 2-for-11 with runners on. Giancarlo Stanton struggled in these situations, going 0-for-3, while DJ LeMahieu, Austin Wells, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Anthony Volpe, and Trent Grisham combined for just 2-for-7.
Fans react to Aaron Judge getting walked three times in Yankees vs. Blue Jays finale
“John Schneider is genuinely a bad manager. Refuses to walk Judge in a high leverage moment leading to a 2-run bomb and then walks him in the lowest leverage moment. Truly is one of the worst managers in Blue Jays history,” posted @BlueJays_WS.
“Call up Jasson Dominguez to lengthen the lineup, time to stop being cute,” suggested @changemyhandle1.
“I despise the Yankees, but for the life of me I can’t figure out why they don’t hit Judge in FRONT OF Soto for protection. I feel like Soto needs the protection less,” wondered @Dave_Schoenfeld.
“Honestly if you’re considering intentionally walking a dude for a third time you should just bean him but hey not everyone has balls anymore,” said @HarrisRizvi.