A new report suggests New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge was pissed off by a bold decision from the Cleveland Guardians in Game 2 of the ALCS.
The Yankees are off today but they are feeling very good about their chances of reaching the 2024 World Series. On Tuesday night, extended their American League Championship Series lead to 2-0 with a 6-3 victory. During the win, New York got something they had been waiting a couple of weeks for. And that was a sign of life from top star Aaron Judge.
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Heading into Tuesday’s game, the likely 2024 AL MVP was in another serious slump. It has become a common problem for him during the postseason no matter how good his regular season was. But things got so bad early in Game 2, that Guardians manager Stephen Vogt chose to intentionally walk teammate Juan Soto and leave the bases loaded for Judge. A player who hit 58 home runs this season.
It was a stunning move on a sensical and data-driven level. While Judge did not smash a run-scoring hit or homer, he did get a productive out to extend their lead. However, it seems that the move likely woke up a sleeping giant. Something Cleveland does not need since they are already in a 0-2 deficit.
New York Yankees teammate says Cleveland Guardians pissed Aaron Judge off in Game 2 of ALCS
“I think when you walk a guy to face the best hitter in the world and you intentionally walk the guy before, it’s going to piss him off,” Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt told media after the game. “It’s kind of like poking the bear. He’s the best hitter on the planet this year. It’s only a matter of time before he hits one out of the park. If anything, it’s going to wake him up even more.”
Well, that is exactly what Aaron Judge did in the seventh by hitting a two-run bomb to centerfield. It pushed the New York Yankees lead to 6-2 and it may have been key evidence that the likely AL MVP may have finally woken up. That is very bad news for the Cleveland Guardians and their World Series hopes.
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