Yankees‘ Aaron Judge demonstrated MVP-worthy performance in 2022, and he seems to be regaining that stride. The Blue Jays were unable to cope and made unfounded accusations that he cheated during Monday night’s first game of the series.
Relief pitcher Jay Jackson stepped up to navigate through the 8th inning, but he encountered a significant hurdle.
Jackson threw four consecutive sliders, with the last one hanging perfectly over the center of the plate. Judge briefly glanced to his right before sending the ball 462 feet straight to the center field.
Toronto’s commentators started criticizing Judge, insinuating he was interpreting an illicitly acquired sign from the first base coach. However, the Blue Jays have since conceded that Judge did nothing inappropriate; they were just revealing their pitches, tarnishing the reputation of an authentic talent.
As reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Yankees realized Jay Jackson was revealing his pitches and exploited the situation fully.
“Before Jackson came to a set position, he brought his hands up near his ear as he gripped the ball. The grip, indicating which type of pitch he was about to throw, was visible to Yankees first base coach Travis Chapman, according to multiple Jays sources. Jackson, in a telephone interview Tuesday night, acknowledged he was tipping his slider, but said the timing of his delivery was more of an issue than his grip.”
The Yankees did everything the right way:
If you’re going to throw a slider over the center of the plate, it’s best not to do so against Aaron Judge. Even without extra cues, he has the ability to make you regret it, which he demonstrated precisely on Tuesday night.
Again, in the 8th inning, Judge hit a 450-foot home run straight to center field, driving in Aaron Hicks. Despite having struck out three times earlier in the game, Judge flaunted his power, quieting the stadium.
Jackson even confessed to tipping, implying that the Jays owe Judge a substantial apology.
“From what I was told, I was kind of tipping the pitch,” said Jackson, who after striking out the first two batters in the eighth inning threw Judge six straight sliders, the final one on 3-2. “It was (less) my grip when I was coming behind my ear. It was the time it was taking me from my set position, from my glove coming from my head to my hip. On fastballs, I was kind of doing it quicker than on sliders. They were kind of picking up on it.”
The Yankees currently hold a two-game lead in a four-game series against Toronto. They are scheduled to play at 7:07 PM on both Wednesday and Thursday nights.
However, the bullpen was significantly drained after Domingo German was expelled from the game in the 3rd inning on Tuesday. Gerrit Cole will need to rise to the occasion and bear the burden for as long as he can, ensuring his relief pitchers get a substantial rest.