Frustration came close to really boiling over for the struggling New York Yankees on Sunday afternoon in the Bronx.
The Yankees and the Blue Jays appeared to be on the verge of a benches-clearing brawl when Toronto starter Alek Manoah hit Aaron Judge on the shoulder with a 92 mph sinker. Manoah nearly missed plunking Judge in the same spot earlier in the game, so New York’s superstar slugger understandably was pretty miffed when he was beaned.
Judge managed to limit his interaction with Manoah to just a few words. The four-time All-Star quickly went into damage control from there, as an irate Gerrit Cole emerged from the Yankees dugout and had some choice words for Manoah. Cooler heads eventually prevailed without any punching or shoving and the Yankees ultimately secured a 4-2 win.
Speaking with the media after the game, Judge opened up about the incident.
“It’s the heat of the moment. Nobody likes to get hit,” Judge told reporters, per ESPN. “Everybody’s watching the game, everybody’s into it. No matter who gets hit, everybody’s going to take exception to it. Dugout had a couple of things to say and then you move on.”
Judge added: “At first you’re pissed, and I was pissed, but I didn’t need anybody else getting thrown out for me getting hit. I was just kind of moving on to the next play. I know (Anthony) Rizzo had a big at-bat behind me. I’d be a little happier with getting a couple of runs instead of us brawling out there. … We took care of business and moved on.”
Time will tell if this incident carries over into the next time the Yankees and the Blue Jays meet. The American League East rivals are set to kick off a three-game series in Toronto on Sept. 26.
