“It's going to be back and forth” - Aaron Judge discusses ongoing Yankees-Orioles rivalry following frustrating defeat
Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees met up with the Baltimore Orioles for the final game of their three-game series on Thursday. It was Judge's first game back in the lineup since taking Wednesday night off after being hit in the hand.
The series was tied at one apiece, so Thursday's game at Yankee Stadium would decide the series. Unfortunately for the Yanks, they had a miserable outing, dropping the series to their division rivals.
They wound up losing the game in ugly fashion, by a score of 17-5. While Judge was able to muscle out his league-leading 27th home run, it was not enough to push his team over the edge. However, he is excited about how this rivalry is starting to shape up:
"They're a good ball club. We saw that last year. They got some great young players that play hard and play fast, [and] some great arms, starting pitchers and bullpen. It's fun competing against those guys," Judge said.
He knew this team was building something special last season, and they have come out firing to start the new year. The American League East could certainly be a battle between these two teams all season long:
"We got a half-game on them. It's going to be back and forth all the way until the end of September, that's for sure," Judge added.
The two teams play in two more series before the regular season is completed. You will not want to miss out on these matchups, as they can be the difference between winning or losing the division.
Injuries starting to become a concern for Aaron Judge's Yankees
Injuries are starting to pile up for the Yankees. While Aaron Judge escaped significant injury, the same can't be said for slugger Anthony Rizzo. The first baseman will be out for the next six to eight weeks with a fractured radial neck in his right arm.
Another player went down on Thursday, and that was Gleyber Torres. He left the game early due to tightness in his right groin.
The club has even seen injuries at the minor-league level. Top prospect Jasson Dominguez will not be available for the next two months. He has been sidelined with an oblique strain, which is pretty significant per manager Aaron Boone.
This team would be in shambles if Judge had not escaped major injury. Boone may want to bubble-wrap some players over the next few weeks.