"It was a little hot" - When Martin Maldonado pulled his jersey in a snarly jibe at Aaron Judge's celebration
The New York Yankees and their captain, Aaron Judge, in particular, were upset when Jose Altuve walked off to win the 2019 ALCS clash for the Houston Astros.
In 2021, in a three-game series at Minute Maid Park, Judge took Zack Greinke deep into the centerfield. While rounding up the third base, he got together his jersey, just like Altuve did in the 2019 ALCS home run.
Interestingly, Altuve not wanting to remove his jersey in the 2019 ALCS became a subject of interest, as many used it to support allegations that the second baseman was wearing an electronic buzzer to steal signs.
The next game, Martin Maldonado blasted a 371-foot home run to right field over Judge's head to tie the game at 1-1 in the third inning. After hitting the game-tying home run, he hinted at his unbuttoned jersey as a way to mock Judge's action from the previous game.
However, when he interacted post-game about the gesture, Maldonado pointed out the move for other reasons:
"It was a little hot," Maldonado said. "I was trying to get some air inside my shirt."
More about the game that followed Aaron Judge-Martin Maldonado's indirect gestures
Following Maldonado's home run, outfielder Tim Locastro propelled the Yankees to a 2-1 lead after belting a homer in the opposite field.
However, the interesting bit was what followed afterward. When Locastro reached the Yankee dugout, he was draped in a jacket, and when discussing it postgame, Aaron Judge said:
"Whenever they keep the roof closed here, it's a little chilly. I was just telling my teammates to button up a little bit."
However, it's well known that it was not the reason and that the jacket gesture was in fact an indirect jibe at Maldonado, who said that it was hot.
Thanks to Gio Urshela's RBI double and a three-home run by Gary Sanchez, the Yankees lead ballooned to 7-2 in the ninth.
However, just when the Yankees counted, the Astros made a jaw-dropping comeback with a six-run ninth inning, including a three-run walk-off home run by none other than Altuve.
Only this time, the Astros tore down Altuve's jersey as a way to mock Aaron Judge and the Yankees to suggest they were not wearing anything under the jersey.
The episode added another flavor to the already heated rivalry, which stands till this date.