As long as Aaron Judge can play, Yankees not counting themselves out of playoff race
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge, right, is greeted near home plate by Kyle Higashioka (66) after scoring them on a two-run home run off Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Tyler Wells during the third inning of a baseball game, Saturday, July 29, 2023, in Baltimore. Credit: AP/Julio Cortez
BALTIMORE — When it came to the question of whether the Yankees have a late-season run in them, Aaron Judge spoke directly and confidently.
“I wouldn’t count us out,” he said.
Judge spoke Saturday night after going 3-for-5, including his team-leading 20th homer, in the Yankees’ 8-3 victory over the Orioles at Camden Yards.
The Yankees had 12 hits, with Kyle Higashioka also contributing a homer among his three hits and Giancarlo Stanton also going deep.
“We’re going to take it one day at a time, we’re going to continue to show up every single day, and that’s all we can do at this point,” said Judge, who was not in the starting lineup Sunday night but was available to pinch hit if need be. “I’m not going to look down the road or look past [Sunday night]. But if we just keep showing up, doing our job and playing the way we’re supposed to, I think we’ll be in a good spot.”
The Yankees, however, weren’t in a particularly good spot after the first inning Sunday night. Luis Severino picked up three strikeouts but allowed seven runs, seven hits and a walk.
They also entered the game not in the best of spots: in last place in the loaded AL East at 55-49. They trailed the first-place Orioles by eight games and were three games behind the Astros and Blue Jays, who were tied for the final two AL wild-card spots.
The Yankees find themselves in that position because Judge missed nearly two months with a right big toe sprain and they went 19-23 in his absence (they were 35-25 when Judge went down with the injury on June 3).
But Judge returned from the injured list Friday and, though he would never say it because self-praise simply has never been a part of his DNA, he is the biggest reason not to count them out.
His teammates and manager marveled at his plate discipline Friday when he walked three times — he lined out hard to right in his first at-bat — and were borderline giddy 24 hours later after watching Saturday night’s display.
“Just that first time, being on the bases, jogging in front of him when he hits a mammoth homer, was a great feeling and one I’ve missed for a long time,” said Higashioka, who scored in the third on Judge’s 442-foot homer to center. It came on a 1-and-1 fastball, two pitches after he was badly fooled on a first-pitch curveball from righty Tyler Wells.
“It’s really good to have him back. There’s no question Aaron Judge is maybe the best hitter in the league, and when we have him in the lineup, I think we all feel like we just get a little boost just having a guy like that on the team.”
Clarke Schmidt, Saturday night’s starter, said the feeling of ease in the dugout was palpable even to him as a pitcher.
“There’s just a confidence level we have with him in the lineup,” he said. “[He] makes everybody’s job a little bit easier in front of him and behind him. Just a lot more comfortable ABs out there.”
Of the offense’s performance, which was sorely lacking with Judge out, Aaron Boone said: “That’s what it’s supposed to look like right there. That’s what we’re working to. Just up and down, it was just good to see us have that level of at-bats.”
Boone would not go so far as to attribute all of that to Judge, evidence to the contrary.
“There’s no question Aaron’s presence in the lineup is enormous,” Boone said. “But it’s also a peek into what we truly believe other guys are capable of as well.”
Guys who, at least this season, generally haven’t produced as much with Judge not in the lineup as when the reigning MVP is in it.
As for the upcoming trade deadline on Tuesday at 6 p.m., the team captain did not make any public pleas for additions (though he certainly isn’t against them).
“We have a job to do on the field,” Judge said. “We’re here, we’re fully capable with the guys we’ve got in this clubhouse to go out there and compete on a daily basis until the end of the year. That’s out of our hands. I’ll let them [the front office] do their part and we’ll do ours.”
That’s a task that became far easier, or at least more realistic, with his return.
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
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