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Jorge Castillo, ESPN Staff Writer
NEW YORK — Aaron Judge has pummeled pitchers for the past three-plus months. His numbers over that stretch belong in video games with the difficulty turned down to Rookie. Teams have tried and failed to slow down the towering New York Yankees superstar, but recently a bold new strategy has emerged.
The New York Mets took the first step in a late July matchup when they unequivocally pitched around Judge. He walked four times, once intentionally, in a Mets win. On Saturday, the Toronto Blue Jays followed that blueprint, issuing three intentional walks to Judge after he blasted a home run in the first inning.
“It’s tough,” Judge said. “I always want to hit.”
The Jays’ first free pass, with nobody on base and two outs in the second inning, was the first time in more than 50 years that a player was intentionally walked in that situation that early in a game. On Sunday, Judge was intentionally walked with two outs and a runner at first base in the fifth inning with the Blue Jays leading 2-0.
“Oh, so that’s beyond the Bonds treatment,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said with a smile. “Now we’ll call it the Judge treatment.”
Boone’s comment was tongue-in-cheek. Barry Bonds compiled a major league record 232 walks — 120 intentional — in 2004. Judge has recorded 92 walks — just 11 of them intentional so far — but his production this season is the closest we’ve seen to peak Bonds over the past two decades.
Judge, 32, is batting .321 with 41 home runs and a 1.147 OPS in 114 games. Remove his first month of atypical struggles and the numbers are even more staggering: a .368/.500/.803 slash line with 37 home runs and 91 RBIs in 87 games. Two years removed from hitting an AL-record 62 home runs, Judge is on pace for 58 homers and superior numbers in most other categories. He’s better than ever.
Lately, however, that has meant fewer opportunities to inflict damage.
The Yankees’ recent emergence from their six-week downswing has been accompanied by a fascinating question: Are opponents going to regularly avoid pitching to Judge down the stretch and even into October?
“It’s strategic,” Yankees ace Gerrit Cole said. “I love watching him hit, though, so I wish they didn’t do it.”
With an intentional walk in the first game of a doubleheader against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday, Judge became the first Yankees player with five intentional walks in a three-game span since it happened twice to Roger Maris in 1962. The only other Yankees player intentionally walked five times in a three-game span is Babe Ruth is 1923. Judge’s three-game IBB streak is tied for third longest in franchise history, behind Aaron Robinson in May 1947 and Joe DiMaggio in July 1939 (both were four-game streaks).
“It sucks because you want him at the plate,” said Yankees right fielder Juan Soto, who bats second in the lineup in front of Judge. “I’m doing my best to put him up, and to see them pass him over, it makes me mad. I don’t like that. I want them to challenge him and see what he can really do. But it is what it is. It’s part of the game. They’re trying to win too so you respect that.”
A more common gambit in previous eras, data — along with the end of pitchers hitting in the National League — has pushed clubs to avoid intentionally walking hitters in recent years. But the ploy became a more reasonable option in this instance when the lineup collapsed around Soto and Judge in June and into late July, even as the All-Stars continued posting remarkable numbers as a duo. Since June 4, Yankees hitters have gone 4-for-39 with five walks immediately following Judge’s 47 walks over that stretch.
Soto and Judge have been fixed in their spots in the batting order, second and third respectively, all season, but Boone on Wednesday revealed that he has considered flipping Soto and Judge in hopes of forcing teams to pitch to Judge. He acknowledged he’s also thought about having Soto and Judge bat one and two in the lineup.
“Probably wouldn’t necessarily go that route,” Boone added. “But you never say never.”
For now, the simplest way to induce teams into pitching to Judge is Austin Wells continuing his recent production behind him. The rookie catcher was batting .213 with a .618 OPS and two home runs in 154 plate appearances on June 27. Since then, he’s slashing .312/.411/.559 with six home runs in 113 plate appearances. His .970 OPS ranks first among catchers during that stretch.
Wells became the team’s cleanup hitter on July 20, shortly after first-string catcher Jose Trevino was placed on the injured list. He hasn’t relinquished the role as Judge’s primary protection in the lineup against right-handers, with Giancarlo Stanton returning from injury to slot in against lefties.
“I mean, if I was them I’d be walking Judge too,” Wells said. “For me, I’m not taking it personal, but I look forward to the challenge.”
Ron Washington challenged Wells on Wednesday.
Managers are often disinclined to divulge strategy before a game. Every morsel of intel is precious. But the Angels manager pulled back the curtain a bit before his club’s doubleheader Wednesday at Yankee Stadium.
Washington, like the rest of the baseball universe, has watched Judge in awe this summer. He also saw what his peer, Blue Jays manager John Schneider, did over the weekend.
“I don’t think I’m going to be walking him with nobody [on base],” Washington said. “But if there’s an opportunity that a base is open and his swing of the bat can cause us some damage, he’s not going to swing. Someone else is going to swing. It’s just that simple. There’s no disrespect to anyone. You gotta do what you gotta do. I mean, he’s a bad boy and you just can’t come into this ballpark and let him beat up on you if you don’t have to.”
That afternoon, Washington did end up walking Judge with nobody on base. There were two outs in the eighth inning of Game 1, and by that point, Judge was 2-for-3 with a walk. The Angels, facing a 5-2 deficit, had left-hander Matt Moore on the mound. Washington didn’t like the matchup. He held up four fingers and let Judge take his base.
Moments later, Wells cracked a 103.1 mph line-drive out right at the second baseman. Inning over. The tactic worked — barely.
“He’s not perfect,” Washington said of Judge. “But he’s baaad. You know like Michael Jackson bad? He’s bad. You just can’t go mano a mano with him unless you necessarily have to. If you gotta go mano a mano, you go mano a mano.
“But if you don’t have to, I’m sorry, you gotta take the bat out of his hand, and somebody else gotta beat us. And I don’t really care what anybody says after that.”