From Bryan Hoch:
As Aaron Judge continues to be one of the planet’s hottest hitters, opponents are running out of patience and solutions. After serving up the Yankees captain’s Major League-leading 41st home run in the first inning on Saturday, the Blue Jays decided not to deal with him the second time around.
Judge drew a rare bases-empty intentional walk in the second inning, with Toronto wagering its chances with anyone else would be better. It won that particular gamble, but Trent Grisham and Anthony Volpe later made the Blue Jays pay with two-run homers in the Yankees’ 8-3 victory at Yankee Stadium.
“Just how early it was in the game, it was still pretty close (4-1) at the time,” Judge said. “I guess with two outs there, I think they’re just looking at maybe getting out the next guy. … Hopefully it doesn’t happen again. We’ll see.”
No hitter had been intentionally walked with the bases empty this season, and it happened only three times last year — once to Judge, on May 31 vs. the Mariners. Though it has been referred to as “the Barry Bonds treatment,” even Bonds never had a free pass like this one.
It has been more than 50 years since a player received a bases-empty intentional walk within a game’s first two innings. The most recent example came on Aug. 10, 1972, when the Angels’ Rudy May walked Twins catcher Glenn Borgmann to face pitcher Ray Corbin, months before the American League implemented the designated hitter rule.
Great win. Carlos Rodon did well (not TOO well), but the offense was even better.
The featured image is Judge joking with Vlad after he was intentionally walked in the second inning.
Gerrit Cole goes for the Yankees in the finale of the series, let’s hope he’s feeling better.
Put that on Judge’s HOF plaque.
Although really it speaks more to how dependent the Yankees are on (Soto and) Judge, and how weak the rest of the lineup is.
https://www.mlb.com/news/hitters-improving-by-swinging-faster-in-2024
Geronimo berroa would be loud, proud, swift, and merciless
G Torres (R) 2B
J Soto (L) RF
A Judge (R) LF
A Wells (L) C
G Stanton (R) DH
J Chisholm Jr. (L) 3B
A Volpe (R) SS
T Grisham (L) CF
D LeMahieu (R) 1B
Verdugo sits. Maybe Boone is waking up.
Last 30 games:
Vs Red Sox 9 for 28
Vs everyone else 15 for 93.
Grisham is better than this, even for defense alone.
VERY interested in seeing Judge play left field. Not only in case you think it makes sense to play Grisham over Verdugo on a more regular basis, but also because if The Martian ever gets called up, you’d have to believe the ideal alignment would be Judge in left and Dominguez in center, right?
Yeah, I think that is the optimal defensive and offensive lineup. Even without Martian. Judge/Grisham/Soto & Stanton as DH.
1-9 this is just a day off for Verdugo unless Trent goes 4/5 days today.
Especially if Grisham goes 4-5 today.
Aaron Boone said Alex Verdugo is a “little beat up.” Wanted to get him a double day off.
Wouldn’t say what he’s dealing with other than saying he’s “all right.”
YanksGoYard makes such weird positions in order to maintain an anti-Yankee take on things.
“The only 2024 deadline targets worth surrendering Jones for, one would think, were Garret Crochet and Tarik Skubal, neither of whom moved. But did other MLB teams outside the New York media sphere value Jones so highly? The Yankees were obviously reticent to toss him into the Rays’ lab in exchange for Yandy Diaz and Isaac Paredes, and Jack Flaherty’s injury might’ve changed everything, but would the Marlins have demanded him for Tanner Scott? In his current state, could he have even headlined a Crochet trade?”
What the fuck does this even mean? “The two players that would have made sense surrendering Jones for weren’t traded, so does that mean he could have headlined a trade?” There is nothing there either way. It just doesn’t follow as a point.
“The more the deadline dragged on, the likelier it seemed that Jones’ trade value may have peaked this offseason, back when the Yankees balked at including him for either a rental in Corbin Burnes or a longer-term fit in Dylan Cease. Back then, the Yankees believed Jones to be a star and they thought better opportunities might come along to deal him midsummer. Those opportunities never materialized and Jones failed to emerge as the type of can’t-miss talent that makes sellers change their minds.”
Had Burnes “only” required Jones, I think the Yankees would have made the deal. The issue is that it was Jones PLUS that the Brewers were insisting on, which made it a no-go. The Orioles had a deeper prospect trove, so they gave Milwaukee TWO good prospects, an offensive player and a pitcher, and Optiz has been quite good for Milwaukee. Baltimore made a strong offer that would not have been beaten with just Jones.
Finally, “Fittingly, both Cease (Drew Thorpe) and Flaherty (Trey Sweeney) were dealt in exchange for packages headlined by ex-Yankees.” Trey Sweeney did not “headline” the Flaherty trade in any way, shape or form. The Top 100 prospect the TIgers received was obviously the “headliner” in the deal.
It’s totally fair to say, “Spencer Jones might not pan out as a prospect, and perhaps the Yankees will look back and wish they had traded him for a good veteran, instead,” but just say THAT, and don’t just throw in this silly extra stuff.
15% rain early, increases to 50% at 3pm and then 80% and up 4pm on. Bad day for Cole to be starting.