New York Yankees star Aaron Judge had a strongly worded message to any pitchers that try to throw at him this season.
Amid a brewing controversy in which Red Sox manager Alex Cora appeared to admit Boston tried to intentionally hit Judge in retaliation over the weekend, the Yankees slugger clapped back with a zinger of his own.
Cora was referring to a moment in the sixth inning of Saturday’s 7-1 win over the Yankees when Red Sox starter Brayan Bellow threw a fastball behind Judge’s knees. The pitch didn’t make contact with Judge, but Cora seemed to hint that the Red Sox were trying to plunk him after Yankees ace Gerrit Cole hit Rafael Devers in the first inning and decided to intentionally walk Devers in the fourth.
Judge, for his part, seemed unfazed by Cora’s threat of retribution.
“You play this game for a while, things like that happen,” Judge said after the Yankees wrapped up their season series against the Red Sox with a win on Sunday. “I know they’re upset. I think three of their guys got hit that day. I think they’re just protecting their players. Something’s gotta happen, and that’s the way this game gets policed and has been policed for 100 years. I think the biggest thing is, just don’t miss when you do it.”
"I think the biggest thing is just don't miss when you do it."
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 15, 2024
Aaron Judge on Brayan Bello throwing at him yesterday: pic.twitter.com/pP1a2HDhPx
Judge hit his major league-leading 53rd homer against the Red Sox in Sunday’s 5-2 win to extend the Yankees’ AL East lead.
Cora said Sunday he thought the Yankees hit Devers on purpose and implied that the Red Sox tried to even the score in the feud: “It was closed [Saturday] around the sixth inning. We had our chance. It didn’t happen.”
The MLB is currently investigating Cora’s comments and has yet to hand down any potential disciplinary consequences.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Aaron Judge Had Cheeky Response to Red Sox’s Brayan Bello Throwing at Him.
