Yankees' Aaron Judge explains why he 'was mad' at White Sox before mashing 300th career home run
Aaron Judge is usually even keel when he’s mashing home runs at MLB ballparks, but for his 300th career blast on Wednesday night, there was some anger behind it.
In the top of the eighth inning with the New York Yankees up 6-2, Judge decided to use his universal green light on a 3-0 count to hit an inside fastball over the left field wall for his 300th blast.
Judge made history in the process, too, becoming the fastest player to ever reach that feat in MLB history – 132 games fewer than Ralph Kiner, the previous record holder.
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Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees hits a three-run home run, his 300th career home run, in the eighth inning against the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on August 14, 2024, in Chicago. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Speaking with reporters after the game, Judge admitted that prior to the three-run homer put the game truly out of reach, he was ticked off that the White Sox decided to intentionally walk the hitter in front of him: All-star Juan Soto.
"I was mad about the intentional walk," he said, per the New York Post. "So, that kind of fueled it. Usually 3-0, I’ll take a pitch, see a pitch, kind of pass it on to the next guy. In that situation, if they want to pitch to you, you have to come through."
Judge is usually the one that’s being pitched around or even intentionally walked this year as the AL MVP frontrunner has been wreaking havoc on pitchers all over the league. Catcher Austin Wells has been the one who pitchers would rather face in the cleanup spot most nights.
YANKEES' AARON BOONE INTRIGUED BY INTENTIONAL WALK IDEA AMID AARON JUDGE'S RECENT TREATMENT
However, Soto was on a tear in the White Sox series, notching his first career three-home run game on Tuesday night and getting the Yankees started with a solo shot in the top of the first inning on Wednesday.
So, Chad Kuhl saw the move from his dugout to walk Soto with an open base at first, and Judge took that to heart. Making Judge’s home run even more impressive was the fact that it likely would’ve been called a ball if he hadn’t swung, as it was sinking inside.
Instead, Judge brought his hands in and turned on it. And while he usually gives an immediate jog to first base despite knowing the ball is going out, Judge admired this one for a quick second before looking to his dugout to acknowledge his teammates before rounding the bases.
White Sox interim manager Grady Sizemore explained the decision to walk Soto and pitch to Judge after the game.
Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees is doused with water after the game against the White Sox during which, in the eighth inning, Judge hit his 300th career home run on August 14, 2024, in Chicago. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
"It’s pick your poison," Sizemore said, per The Post. "I’m not trying to get to Judge. I got a base open, [Soto’s] had four homers on us. There’s no solution or easy way out of that jam, but Soto has definitely been the hotter of those two bats, even though Judge has been hot, too. Again, we were kind of playing the situation there. We were already in trouble, had the base open, just trying to get out of it anyway we could."
The dynamic duo of Soto and Judge has been talked about with some of the best in baseball history this season, as their first season together as been the perfect marriage with Soto at the No. 2 spot in the lineup with Judge following him. Manager Aaron Boone has the easy decision to place them next to each other because pitchers are forced to "pick your poison," like Sizemore said.
Sizemore mentioned how Soto was hot, and that certainly was the case in this series as he basically willed his team to a Tuesday night victory to salvage a lopsided loss to the league’s worst team on Monday night.
However, while Soto’s .298/.448/.800 slash line in 12 games this month is extremely impressive – he has seven homers in that span as well – Judge has been outward with his production in August.
Judge entered the month with a .318 average, and it’s now at .333 after his fourth straight multihit game on Wednesday night. He’s slashing .500/.643/.875 with four homers, three doubles and 16 walks over 12 games.
Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees runs the bases after hitting his 300th career home run during the eighth inning against the Chicago White Sox on August 14, 2024. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
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Of those 16 walks, seven of them were intentional after previously only being purposefully walked six times all season long.
In short, both Soto and Judge are crushing it for the Yankees, and it’s hard to choose which one to pitch to. But if you’re going to choose Judge, know there might be some anger behind that red-hot bat.
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