Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees, coming off a tough 7-1 loss, successfully bounced back on Sunday against the Boston Red Sox. In the finale of their four-game series, the Yankees secured a solid 5-2 victory over its arch-rivals.
After the game, Aaron Judge was asked about Red Sox manager Alex Cora's comments regarding pitcher Brayan Bello's possible attempt to hit Judge with a pitch.
"It's baseball. It missed. Nothing much I can do besides take it and go to first. It is what it is," Judge said (starting from 00:50).
Cora suggested that Bello may have intentionally thrown at Judge on Saturday to retaliate for Gerrit Cole hitting Rafael Devers earlier in the game, saying (via NY Post):
“It was closed yesterday around the sixth inning. We had our chance. It didn’t happen and we have to move on.”
In the sixth inning, Brayan Bello threw a 97.4 mph sinker behind Aaron Judge on the first pitch, followed by a 97.2 mph fastball that was very inside and missed the strike zone. Discussing about the incident, Judge said (starting from 1:48):
"Things like that happen. I know they're upset. I think three of their guys got hit. I think they're just protecting their players. That's the way this game kind of gets policed and it’s been policed for over 100 years. The biggest thing is just don't miss when you do it ."
Yankees captain Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 53rd home run against the Red Sox
During Sunday’s game, Yankees captain Aaron Judge hit his MLB-leading 53rd home run. In the third inning, Judge launched a 445-foot moonshot off Red Sox pitcher Kutter Crawford, bringing in two runs.
After hitting the home run, Judge carried the bat with him to first base. When asked about it, he said (starting from 1:07):
"I thought I did that every time. It was a big homer, we're playing the Red Sox, it's a big rival, big game, big moment. Just having some fun with it."
With the recent victory, the Yankees claimed three out of four games in the series. They are set to begin a three-game series with the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday at T-Mobile Park and hold a three-game lead over division rivals Baltimore Orioles in the AL East.