"Eye for an eye"; "Put Gonzalez in monument park" - Yankees fans rejoice as Victor Gonzalez hits Gunnar Henderson with 94mph post Aaron Judge’s injury
Tensions are running high in the ongoing series between the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles. On Tuesday, the Orioles pitchers hit Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres at the plate, and it seems that the Yanks are returning the favor in Wednesday's game.
In the top of the seventh inning, Yankees' LHP Victor Gonzalez darted a 94-mph fastball at the hands of the Orioles' Gunnar Henderson. Henderson blocked it by closing down on his shoulders. While it's not clear whether it was intentional by Gonzalez, the crowd soon roared after the hit by pitch.
Even on X/Twitter, fans were up for the "eye for an eye" moment:
"Eye for an Eye. Good. Dont be hitting Judge and getting away with it," one fan wrote.
"Put Gonzalez in monument park," another posted.
"Retire 47," another suggested to retire Gonzalez's jersey.
The barrage continued online:
"That's the way a team protects one another," one fan added.
"Caitlyn Clark's teammates should take notes," another referred to the Indiana Fever to support their star rookie as the Yanks did.
"This is wtf I'm talking bout, finally," another posted.
Orioles pitchers drills Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres on hand; former avoids fracture after scans
In Tuesday's game, two hit by pitch incidents took center stage, one of which could have been detrimental to the Yankees' season.
In the third inning, Orioles starter Albert Suarez struck New York Yankees' captain Aaron Judge on his pinky finger. This led Yankees' manager Aaron Boone to pull Judge out before his next plate appearance and have him scanned at a local hospital. Luckily for the Bronx Bombers, the imaging came back negative and the AL East leaders avoided a major injury setback.
Moreover, during the fifth inning, Gleyber Torres was also stung by reliever Keegan Akin. This led to his teammate Alex Verdugo throwing expletives at the Orioles:
"Just me and you... and after I'm done with you, I'm gonna f*** that guy up,” Verdugo said.
This situation added to the intense rivalry the Orioles and Yankees are having this season. Both teams are battling toe-to-toe when it comes to finishing as AL East leaders in October. The Yankees are currently 2.5 games ahead of the second-placed Orioles (47-25) with a 51-24 record.