Reviving the struggling Yankees lineup, Aaron Judge showcased his brilliance against the Jays. It all started from Saturday’s game when he belted a two-run homer in the first innings. This was Judge’s 41st home run, and, intending to score more, Jay’s manager, John Schneider, halted his dream run. He made Aaron Judge walk with two outs toward an empty base at the Yankees stadium, but after scoring his 41st homer, Judge climbed into the elite list, tying with Babe Ruth for the most home runs in the first inning playing for the Yankees. 

Taking a glance at his numbers, Aaron Judge is having yet another MVP season with an OPS of 1.154 and an impressive WAR of 7.6. Also, he drew a rare comparison against the Blue Jays in Saturday’s game with legendary Barry Bonds. The Yankees won 8-3, but a similar drama unfolded coming into Sunday’s game. Reflecting on the Toronto Blue Jays’ effort yet again to stop Judge’s dominant run, his teammate Juan Soto garnered his raw thoughts after the match. 

Juan Soto slams Blue Jays for halting Aaron Judge’s on-field play

In Sunday’s game, the Jays intentionally walked Aaron Judge in the fifth, seventh, and eighth innings. This came right after the Yankees captain smashed a single in the third inning. Reflecting on the incident, Soto remarked, “It sucks, and it’s just because you want him on the plate. I’m doing my best to put him up, and you see him, see them pass him over. It’s just that it really makes me mad. You know, it’s just I don’t like that.” In the three-game series against Toronto Blue Jays, Judge walked six times. However, four of the six walks were intentional, as Aaron Judge was 5-for-9 with two home runs. Also, despite Soto’s constant efforts in rotation and willingness to bring Judge back into the batting zone, Schneider’s strategy didn’t allow the same. 

Still, the Pinstripes clinched the series 2-1 after winning Sunday’s game comfortably by 4-3 in the 10th innings. Special contributions came from DJ LeMahieu and Juan Soto in the last game. While LeMahieu had a walk-off single to give the Yankees the lead, Soto went 2-for-3, including a homer he belted in the 7th innings. With Aaron Judge walking off the base, many compared it to “Barry Bonds Treatment.” In his era, Bonds walked the same, with two outs after playing 41 innings.

It has been 50 years since an MLB player has received an intentional walk with bases empty within the first two innings. On August 10, 1972, Angels Rudy May intentionally walked Borgmann to face the pitcher Ray Corbin. Perhaps Jay’s strategy to walk off Aaron Judge seemed cautious, knowing his potential. Moreover, given his stance on Judge’s caliber, Jays manager John Schneider had his thoughts on the Bronx Bombers superstar. 

John Schneider unveils his thoughts on Aaron Judge

When the Jays stopped Aaron Judge to play further, it was raining boos from the Pinstripes fans. However, admiring Judge’s striking abilities, Schneider said, “I honestly didn’t feel like seeing him swing. He’s in a different category, I think than anyone else in the league, where he can just flip the script of a game with one swing.” In Saturday’s game, when all the chaos happened, Aaron belted a 426-foot homer off a 102.5 mph bat speed into the stands. Reflecting a similar strategy from Schneider in Sunday’s game, Judge was made to intentionally walk three times despite being just a single run behind. 

Also, since 2022, Aaron Judge became the third MLB player with the most intentional walks. His 39 walks are trailed by Jose Ramirez, with 50, followed by Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, who has 42. Seeing the Yankees captain’s current form, most teams, like the Jays, might use similar strategies. Reason? In 2024, Judge is demonstrating a high OPS of 1.154, trailing just behind Barry Bonds’s 1.422 in an MLB season. 

Plus, he leads the total number of homers (41) with 103 RBIs while maintaining a striking batting average of .322. Nevertheless, the Yankees have about 30 games remaining before the 2024 World Series. Ultimately, Soto and Co will continue to advocate for their star slugger. On the other hand, the Bronx Bombers might need to find leveraging situations to bypass intentional walks and use Aaron Judge to his complete potential. 

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