“The tension kinda rose there in that situation” - Aaron Judge weighs in on intense bench-clearing moment between Orioles vs. Yankees
Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees are coming off a big Friday night after taking Game 1 from the Baltimore Orioles 4-1 at Camden Yards. While the Yanks were almost done in the night inning, a ball from their ace Clay Holmes hit Orioles outfielder/first baseman Heston Kjerstad in the head.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde rushed out from the dugout, and in a few seconds, both teams were crowded near home plate. The bullpens were empty as the Yankees and Orioles had an intense bench-clearing moment.
The rivalry between both teams in the AL East keeps intensifying at each meeting. Aaron Judge was the first to get hit in their previous series. Since then, getting hit by a pitch in exchange has become a common factor between the two.
In a postgame interview with Yes Network, the Yankees captain opened up about the bench-clearing situation.
"There's been some balls back and forth hitting guys I think throughout this season," Judge said. "Playing with the Orioles I think the tension just kinda rose there in a situation where they are down in the game and getting a little heated."
While several fans think that the tension between the two teams will continue, Judge believes there are better things to do.
"We got big games coming up ahead. We got bigger things to focus on, we got games to win," Judge said.
Aaron Judge smashes home run No. 33 in Yankees win over Orioles
Aaron Judge went deep from the plate as he smashed his 33rd home run against the Orioles. During the top of the third inning, Judge smashed a home run deep to left field against Cade Povich. The Yankees caption extended the lead for his team to 4-1.
Judge continues to lead the MLB in home runs. The slugger has a batting clip of .306 with a .429 OBP and a 1.103 OPS. Judge recorded 84 RBIs and drove in 71 runs in 337 appearances at the plate.
The Yankees seem to be getting back in the race after their terrible slump in the last few weeks. With Gerrit Cole back in form, they are now stronger in their starting rotation. However, the other pitchers need to pick up the pace.
Game 2 of the series is set to take place Saturday, with the first pitch scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET. The contest can be watched live on Fox Sports 1 and livestreamed on FuboTV.