The New York Yankees and Houston Astros were engaged in a battle of who could be bigger goofuses over the weekend, and it was the 2017 World Series champs who earned the last laugh.
When Aaron Judge hit a go-ahead homer in Saturday’s win over the Astros, he mocked José Altuve as he rounded third base, pretending to hide a buzzer in his jersey. That’s what the Yankees claimed Altuve did as he hit a pennant-clinching walk-off homer in the 2019 American League Championship Series.
Fast forward to Sunday, and the Yankees had another one of their semi-regular meltdowns, giving up six runs in the bottom of the ninth to lose to the Astros 8-7 at Minute Maid Park.
It was, of course, Altuve who hit the deciding walk-off, making sure to fire back at Judge and the Yankees by ripping his shirt off during the celebration.
None of which New York manager Aaron Boone has any interest in discussing.
“I really don’t even have any interest,” Boone told reporters when asked about the antics, via The New York Post. “We coughed up a 7-2 lead. I don’t think it had anything to do with any of the things — the extra stuff people are talking about.”
A lot of this Yankees-Astros nonsense dates back years at this point. The buzzer stuff was nearly two years ago, and Houston’s cheating scandal happened in 2017. But the Yankees, who always seem to underachieve despite a monster payroll, keep trying to get their pound of flesh every time they face the Astros.
To what avail? Who knows.
