Aaron Judge raised some eyebrows this week when he peeked into his dugout then demolished a 462-foot home run against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Blue Jays broadcaster Buck Martinez called it “really unusual,” while his partner, Dan Schulman, added, “You don’t want to go throwing allegations around without knowing, but …”
Judge claimed he peeked to see who was “chirping” in the dugout, but the Blue Jays thought otherwise. They suggested he was looking into the dugout to get information on what pitch was coming. And the pitcher who served up the bomb, Jay Jackson, said he was tipping his pitches.
The New York Yankees said nothing illegal was going on, but sign stealing, both legal and illegal, remains the subject of a hot debate in the sport due to some unwritten rules.
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A Chicago White Sox pitcher feels Judge broke one of those unwritten rules by getting a tip from a coach, not his teammates.
And that, Lance Lynn says, may deserve getting drilled with a fastball.
“That’s the only way to stop it, right?” Lynn, a former teammate of Judge’s, told “Foul Territory” when asked by former MLB player A.J. Pierzynski how to stop players from peeking into the dugout.
“If a guy’s on base, and he sees your grip from second, that’s on you. I see that one. But when players that are not on the field or coaches that are not playing the game are involved, that’s where I think it’s too much. Everybody can do their homework. They can see things and do all that. If it’s not your teammate and/or you in the box getting the tips, that’s where I draw the line.”
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Judge said he was “not happy” with the Blue Jays broadcasters’ insinuations and that he had “choice words” for them, which he would keep private. So, instead, he’s letting his game do the talking. It seems that Schulman, Martinez and others poked the bear.
The defending AL MVP with a 62-homer season was getting hot after his return from the injured list. But in the five games since the “scandal,” he’s hitting .450 (9-for-20) with three homers, two doubles and eight RBIs.
He went 4-for-4 with three RBIs, including the game-winning single, Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds.
Judge’s controversy isn’t the only headline about cheating the Yankees have gotten in recent days.
Domingo German was ejected after umpires ruled his hands were too sticky, and he’s serving a 10-game suspension. In Friday’s game, Clarke Schmidt was allowed to stay in the game after a substance check. Reds manager David Bell argued about Schmidt remaining in the game and was ejected.
After a slow 15-15 start, the Yankees have won 10 of their last 13 games and 13 of their last 18.
