"Alex Rodriguez is wrong... He has never been in that position" - When Yankees' ex-coach slammed American after controversial Aaron Judge decision
Back during the 2021 season, Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees found themselves in a familiar spot, the postseason. They were taking on their rivals, the Boston Red Sox in the AL Wild Card round.
This was back when the Wild Card round only consisted of one game, making it a winner-take-all. The Bronx Bombers had their backs up against the wall, down two runs in the sixth inning.
This is when third-base coach Phil Nevin made a big mistake. Giancarlo Stanton hit a rocket off the Green Monster and Nevin decided to send Judge home, but he was gunned down at the plate. The Yanks would go on to lose that game and ultimately the season, but Nevin felt good about his decision, via The New York Post's Dan Martin.
"I know what the situation is. I know what kind of third-base coach I am. I made a play to win the game. It didn't work out. It was a great baseball play on their side. In a big moment, it didn't go our way," said Nevin.
The out took away the momentum the Yankees were building. The decision to send Judge was questioned by Alex Rodriguez on the ESPN set, but Nevin did not want to hear it.
"The guy has never been in that situation, but thinks he has a good idea of what baseball is in that spot and he's wrong. He's never been in that position" said Nevin.
Nevin was quick to defend himself and his decision to send Judge in that situation. He was not too thrilled to hear A-Rod questioning him and let the 14-time All-Star have it.
That would be Nevin's final game coaching third base for the Bronx Bombers. The following season, the club decided to go with Luis Rojas, who is still working as the team's third-base coach going into the 2025 season.
Aaron Judge turned up the heat the following season for the Yankees
Aaron Judge came out firing on cylinders the following year after the Boston Red Sox ended their season. Across 157 games during the 2022 season, he hit .311/.425/.686 with 62 home runs and 131 runs batted in.
He ended up breaking Roger Maris' single-season home run record while holding a 10.5 WAR. When it was all said and done, he became the American League MVP.