MILWAUKEE — It would take something extraordinary to make Aaron Judge's extra-base home runs secondary. Especially on the day Anthony Rizzo hit his 300th career home run. But the Yankees captain's controversial slide to second base was the talk of many Sunday afternoon.
During the game between the Yankees and the Brewers at American Family Field, Judge used his extended sliding glove to deflect a throw and break up a potential double play, contributing to a seven-run lead in the sixth inning.
“I've never experienced anything like that in my life. I've been sliding around like that for years,” the judge said.
In the sixth inning, Judge raised his left hand high and slid into second base, and Alex Verdugo appeared to hit a twin kill. A throw from Milwaukee shortstop Willie Adames caught Judge's hand, and he quickly ran away as Verdugo reached safety.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy briefly got into an altercation with the crowd of umpires, but no interference was called. Crew chief Andy Fletcher later said the official was at fault, saying an off-field video review showed the judge's raised hand “was not a natural part of the slide.” .
However, that particular play was not considered up for review, so the team continued playing.
“We did everything we could to come together and do things right,” Fletcher said. “But on hindsight, it seems like it should have been called interference.”
Murphy said he didn't think the judges wanted the ball to hit. “But I think it was a deliberate attempt to sabotage him. That's my opinion. I don't know what his intentions were. He seems like a great guy, but he's also very competitive. So maybe there was a chance.”
After Giancarlo Stanton popped out in his next at-bat, the Yanks mounted a ferocious two-out rally that sent 11 men to the plate. Gleyber Torres hit a game-tying single to center field, Jose Trevino hit a two-run homer, and Juan Soto also had an RBI.
Judge returned to the plate that inning, was booed by the crowd of 35,295, and then closed out the game with a two-run single. He finished the day 4-for-3 and has 8-for-23 (.348 batting average), three home runs, and seven RBIs over his past six games.
“He's starting to swing even better,” manager Aaron Boone said.
Reflecting on the play in the sixth inning, Judge said he was initially worried that Adames' throw might have broken his finger, and said he was “shocked” by the impact.
“You can look back at any picture of me sliding into second base. It happened all the time,” the judge said. [for Adames] It goes around. I just slide into base and do my job. ”
Adams said: “He's like 7 feet tall. He's huge. When I have my hands up, even when I'm sliding to second base, I feel like he's taller than me. So for me, the ball It's a tough place to pitch.”
On a night when they scored a season-high 15 points, the Yankees hit a home run in the first inning, a Statcast-predicted 441-foot rocket from Tobias Myers, their third extra-base hit in the past five games. .
Anthony Volpe celebrated his 23rd birthday with a three-run performance that put him within four points of Marcus Stroman.
Stroman struggled with command and avoided damage until the fifth inning, when he was unable to retire any batters. Adames beat Stroman with a scoring double and Jake Bowers tied it with a three-run homer.
“I feel like I haven't been able to replicate my mechanics very well,” Stroman said. “That’s definitely something to work on.”
Rizzo gave up two runs in the eighth inning, going 4-for-4 and capping off the game's scoring with his 300th career home run. The ball fell into the Milwaukee bullpen, allowing Rizzo to easily retrieve his memorabilia.
Rizzo now joins teammate Giancarlo Stanton as 12 active players in the majors to reach this milestone, along with Nolan Arenado, Freddie Freeman, Paul Goldschmidt, Bryce Harper and Manny. Machado, J.D. Martinez, Carlos Santana, Mike Trout, Joey Votto, and Andrew McCutchen.
“Amazing. It's amazing,” Rizzo said. “With milestones like this, it takes time to look back and realize how hard the process was and how much fun it was. It feels great. We got the win after two solid days of attacking as a team. All in all, it was a good day and definitely one to remember.”