Aaron Judge found himself at the center of attention during the New York Yankees’ series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays, after a controversial throw in right field involving Jazz Chisholm Jr. Instead of firing home on a two-run single, Judge cut his throw short. The play left many questioning his decision-making.
Judge was blunt when asked about it. “Just dropped the ball in. Throw it into the cutoff man. It’s a two-run single. What do you mean?” he said, making clear he viewed it as routine. His calm explanation contrasted with the loud criticism circulating online and in the Bronx stands.
The Yankees outfielder pushed back on doubts about his arm. “I wouldn’t be in the outfield if I wasn’t able to make that throw,” Judge said. He then added, “My first thought was to get it into Jazz, get it into whoever, just for them to make that throw. Because my first thought was trying to make the play, and it just kind of died before it got to me.”
Aaron Boone’s take on the play
Manager Aaron Boone didn’t dodge the questions about the throw. “He got to it, and he scored,” Boone said when asked why the run came in. When pressed if Judge could have made the throw, he replied, “Yeah, he’s in position to make the throw. We’re handling it how we handle it, okay?”
Before the game, Boone had already addressed Judge’s return to right field. “We’re ready to go with him to play,” he said, though he admitted there might be monitoring going forward. “We’ll see. He’s worked hard to get to this point.”
Blue Jays manager weighs in
Interestingly, Blue Jays manager John Schneider also commented on the moment, but in a way that defended Judge. “Going into it, I know it’s his first game back in the outfield and there was a little bit of an unknown with how he was going to respond,” he said. “He’s got a great arm… we wanted to test it.”
Schneider noted that with Daulton Varsho running the bases, they were willing to push the situation. “Carlos [Febles] did a good job of sending him there,” he said, framing it as a calculated move rather than a glaring mistake by Judge.
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