"Why wouldn't you?" - Aaron Judge acknowledges White Sox's Juan Soto's intentional walk decision amid star teammate's stellar form
Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees completed a come-from-behind win over the Chicago White Sox in the series finale on Wednesday. A late offensive surge helped the Bronx Bombers seal the series win.
The highlight of the game was Aaron Judge's three-run home run in the top of the eighth inning, which saw the Yankees captain become the fastest player to reach 300 home runs in MLB history.
However, it was how Judge got to the plate that raised a few eyebrows. The White Sox intentionally walked Juan Soto to bring Judge to the plate. While the expectation was that the Sox would intentionally walk the Yankees captain too, the 2022 AL MVP lined Chad Kuhl for a three-run moonshot on a 3-0 pitch count.
When asked if he was surprised to see the White Sox intentionally walk Soto, Judge praised his teammate:
"You guys saw how he is swinging the bat this week. It makes sense. Three homers yesterday, a homer to start the game today, why wouldn't you (on walking Soto)."
Juan Soto has four home runs in his last two games, taking his tally to 34 in his first season with the Yankees. His remarkable offensive stats explain why Chicago walked him despite Judge being next in the lineup.
"It's pick your poison. I'm not trying to get to Judge. I got a base open," White Sox interim manager Grady Sizemore said.
"There's no solution or an easy way out of that jam, but Soto's definitely been the hotter of those two bats, even though Judge has been hot, too."
Aaron Judge shares what fueled his historic 300th home run
The White Sox's decision to intentionally walk Juan Soto lit a fire under Aaron Judge's belly. The Yankees MVP contender explained why he decided to hit on a 3-0 count instead of walking.
"I was mad about the intentional walk, so that kind of fueled," Judge said. "Usually 3-0, I'll take a pitch, see a pitch, kind of pass it on to the next guy. But in that situation, if they don't want to pitch to you, you got to come through."
Judge added to his league-leading home run tally with his 43rd moonshot on Wednesday. With the Yankees captain in red-hot form, it's difficult to rule out Judge breaking his own AL record of 62 home runs in a season.