"He was out there competing" - Aaron Judge defends Jose Quintana's pitch-around tactics despite Yankees' Subway Series loss

Aaron Judge said he was not perturbed by the tactics of New York Mets pitcher Jose Quintana during their 3-2 win over the New York Yankees on Tuesday evening. The Yankees captain defended Quintana's ploy of pitching around him during the game, saying that the Mets pitcher was just taking the safer route towards earning a victory for his team.

The Mets gave up a base on balls to Aaron Judge in each of his first three appearances at the plate before walking him intentionally during his fourth visit to the batter's box.

Jose Quintana, who held a 2-6 record against Judge, preferred to walk the Yankees slugger rather than give up a hit. Quintana threw 14 pitches at Judge, out of which 12 were balls, while only one was called a strike.

Reporters asked Aaron Judge if he was surprised or annoyed by the pitching strategy of the Mets against him.

"No, I think he was out there competing. Jose [Quintana] has actually done well against me quite a few times throughout my career," Judge replied.

"He was being careful, especially with what [Juan] Soto's doing in front of me and what we've been doing all year. I think they're just trying to be a little careful, and you just got to pass the baton to the next guy," he said.

"It's not really too frustrating. I wouldn't mind that day when it comes with a win. It's part of it. It's a team game. Even if I went 4-for-4 today, we still might not win," said Judge.

The Yankees finally saw Aaron Judge get an at-bat in the ninth inning when Mets reliever Jake Diekman gave up a walk to Juan Soto. However, Judge faced just five pitches as Diekman got him out after he was caught looking at a fastball inside the zone for strike three.

---

They have got a good ballclub: Aaron Judge offers praise to crosstown rivals

Aaron Judge praised the New York Mets for their performances against the New York Yankees this year (Source: IMAGN)

The New York Yankees have one of the best records in the MLB, but the New York Mets have upstaged their crosstown rivals in head-to-head battles.

The Mets have a 3-0 record against the Yankees this year and could sweep them for the year by winning their next meeting on Wednesday night.

"They have got a good ballclub. It was a back and forth game, a high-energy game. Lots of pretty fun games. But they won the ones at their place and ran up the score on us. It is part of it. Today we didn't get the win, but I'm going to move on. We have got a big one tomorrow." Aaron Judge said.

The Yankees are second in the American League East with a 60-42 record. Meanwhile, the Mets have improved to 51-48, which puts them in the last qualifying spot of the wildcard race in the National League.