"It should’ve been called" - Crew chief reflects on 'missed' Aaron Judge interference call after controversial slide

A late rally from the New York Yankees hitters helped thump the Milwaukee Brewers to clinch the series on Sunday.

Yankees captain Aaron Judge has been a hot topic after his controversial slide at a crucial juncture in the game. An in-form Alex Verdugo's hit in the sixth inning witnessed Judge's attempt to slide to reach second base. However, his raised padded hand seemingly obstructed Brewers shortstop Willy Adames' double play attempt. The obstruction allowed Verdugo to reach first base, with the Yankees at seven runs in the innings.

While the umpires didn't call interference on Judge's play during the Yankees' rout of the Brewers, crew chief Andy Fletcher admitted that the umpires missed the call despite trying their best while reviewing the replay.

“After looking at it off the field in replay, it appears that the call was missed," Fletcher told a pool reporter after the game. It should’ve been called interference because it wasn’t a natural part of his slide. It didn’t appear that way to us.

We did everything we could to get together and get it right. But after looking at it, it appears that it should’ve been called interference.”

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Aaron Judge maintains innocence after controversial play during Yankees' rally

Yankees superstar Aaron Judge didn't seem too bothered by the uproar and said that it wasn't the first time he had his hands in the air while sliding. However, he admitted that it was the first time something like this had happened.

“No, that’s never happened before in my life, and I’ve been sliding like that for years,” Judge said.

While the five-time All-Star claimed that his hand was in a natural position and he had no intent to obstruct the ball, Brewers manager Pat Murphy gave his opinion on the controversial incident, hinting at the Yankees slugger's intent at obstructing the play despite his claims.

“It’s hard to say that he wasn’t making an attempt at least purposely to obstruct,” Murphy said.

“I don’t think he wanted to get hit by the ball, but I think he was trying to purposely obstruct. That’s my opinion. I don’t know what his intent was. He seems like a wonderful man but very competitive also.”

The missed call by the umpires was not received well by Brewers fans at the American Family Field, as boos rang in for Aaron Judge after he extended his team's lead with a two-run single in a seven-run inning for the Yankees.