“Everybody Gets Calls Wrong” Captain Aaron Judge Reveals His Relationship With Umpires After His First Career Ejection

The New York Yankees’ Captain All Rise was recently in a strange first-time situation. He was ejected by umpire Ryan Blakney for supposedly saying something he should not have. However, Judge said, “I’ve said a lot worse.” Nevertheless, he never makes a scene. The fact that the ejection took place was ‘surprising’.

Despite the cacophony that took place in the Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers game, Aaron Judge shared that he believes in remaining respectful. Judge, known for his calm demeanor, getting caught in an ejection is nothing short of shocking. However, his comments on his relationship with the umpires are not quite what one would’ve expected to hear. 

The New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge Reveals Relationship With Umpires

Here’s how it all started: The 6-foot-7 slugger got a quick hook in the bottom of the seventh inning. He was called out on strike. But it was his glance at the home plate umpire, Ryan Blakney, while expressing his displeasure while walking back to the dugout that caught the umpire’s attention.

While the ejection call came, and he was quite “surprised” that it happened, he did acknowledge how difficult the job of an umpire is. His words were, “I guess, I understand their job’s tough, everybody makes mistakes, everybody gets calls wrong, and I get a lot of calls wrong. but you know when I’m up there, You know I respect what they do. It’s a tough position in sports to be making balls and strikes and making calls.” 

In a post-game interview, he shared that he has always respected umpires. And getting each an every call right could be a tough job. Judge went on to say that even if he were to make calls from the dugout, he’d make mistakes too. Now, that said, he shared that he has always had the umpires’ backs. But something else upset Judge. 

The fact that he acknowledges “their job’s tough. I’ve always had their back because it’s tough back there. So for that to happen that way, that’s what I’m most upset about, especially late in the game like that.” Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo too expressed that Judge was “obviously disappointed in the call,” but never did he feel that Judge was “showing up the umpire.”

One of  Judge’s Firsts

With this out in the open, it is clear that Judge’s relationship with the umpires, despite being respectful, might have developed a crack. Even manager Aaron Boone said, “Judge, he says very little usually very respectfully walking away. Come on man.” How this situation is going to reflect on Judge’s future performances is yet to be known. However, Judge found himself joining a strange list of firsts after that. 

Since Derek Jeter, as a captain, was never ejected in his 20-year career, Judge became the first Yankee captain to get tossed since Don Mattingly on May 13, 1994, in Milwaukee.