Aaron Judge finally made his return to the New York Yankees on Tuesday after missing over three months due to a rib injury, but even with a 5-3 win over the Colorado Rockies, the superstar slugger was not happy. Judge went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts in the contest, getting replaced by Heliot Ramos after the sixth inning.
Boone Played It Safe, Judge Was Not Having It
Yankees manager Aaron Boone made the call to be cautious with Judge’s playing time, and while Judge respected it, he wasn’t exactly thrilled. “I feel great, I played half a game so I don’t know what to say about that,” Judge told reporters. He added, straight up, “I respect Boonie so whatever he says I’m gonna do, but not happy about it.” Talk about a competitor! Good thing Heliot Ramos came in clutch, slamming a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to give the Bronx Bombers some breathing room. Judge even gave Ramos props, saying his “guy Ramos came in and picked me up and hit a nice little three-run homer there to put the game out so we can be comfortable going into the last inning. But yeah, not too happy about it.”
Judge’s Mentality: Get Paid To Win
Missing over three months? Forget about it. Judge revealed he “wanted to come back a couple months ago,” but he had to hit all the trainer’s boxes first. His take on getting back into game shape while diving into the late-season grind? Pure pro. “I get paid to do this, so I gotta go do it,” Judge explained. “That’s the end of it. I get paid to go out there and give my best to the New York Yankees and these fans. So, you get paid to win games so you gotta keep going out there and winning games.” And the fans? They knew what’s up, giving him a standing ovation in the first inning. Judge loved it, even comparing it to his ’22 season chasing 62 homers. “That’s why they’re the best fans in the world,” he said.
What It Means For The Stretch
The Yankees picked up their 82nd win of the season against 62 losses, securing their 34th consecutive winning season. That’s a serious streak. But for Judge, it’s all about one thing. “We’re the Yankees, we’re gonna win,” he stated. “That’s a great streak but everybody in this room is worried about championships.” Right now, New York holds the top AL Wild Card spot. They’re also sitting just four games back from the Tampa Bay Rays for the AL East lead, with only 18 regular-season contests left. Every game is huge.
Judge is back, fired up and ready to push. With 18 games to go and the AL East title still in sight, seeing that kind of fight from their MVP slugger, even on a rough night at the plate, is exactly what the Yankees need as they chase October.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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