New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge got honest about the Boston Red Sox trying to hit him with a pitch during Saturday's game.
Sep 15, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge (99) prepares to take the field against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
The New York Yankees won their final series against the Boston Red Sox this season, taking three games out of four against their arch-rival after securing a 5-2 win on Sunday.
While Aaron Judge broke out of his 16-game home run drought on Friday and then added another home run on Sunday, the biggest story swirling around the Yankees' captain was his unwilling involvement in Boston's attempt at getting revenge, after Gerrit Cole hit Rafael Devers during the first inning of yesterday's game.
In the sixth inning of that game, Judge had a ball thrown behind him by Boston pitcher Brayan Bello. The perception was that this pitch was supposed to hit Judge as a way of getting back at New York for hitting Devers, which Red Sox manager Alex Cora appeared to hint at before Sunday's game.
But Judge didn't sound too torn up about the hit-by-pitch attempt after Sunday's win.
"It's baseball," Judge told reporters, via YES Network. "He missed... nothing about it I can do except take it and go to first. So it is what it is."
When asked how he feels about being a potential retaliation target for opposing teams when a hit-by-pitch occurs, Judge said, "Playing this game for a while, things like that happen. I know they were upset, I think three of their guys got hit that day. And I think they're just protecting their players. So something has got to happen, and that's kind of the way this game gets policed and has been policed for over 100 years.
"I think the biggest thing is just don't miss when you do it," Judge concluded.
Yankees fans are surely glad Bello missed Judge yesterday.
