Judge Aaron made his second appearance in right field against the Blue Jays in just three days, facing challenges early on from the flexor strain in his right elbow.
Results were, well, a bit inconsistent. His usually powerful arm appeared weakened—clearly a result of the injury.
Despite this, the Blue Jays managed to advance on Judge’s throws, but the Yankees pulled through with a 4-3 victory, thanks in part to George Springer’s impressive diving catch while Nathan Lukes was on second base in a tight game.
It’s likely the team will keep testing Judge’s arm in the coming games.
In the second inning, Ernie Clement hit a double into the right field corner. Judge made a decent throw, but it clocked in at only 70 mph, significantly slower than his season average of 90 mph before the injury.
Later that inning, another runner hit a fly ball to right; rather than trying to make an aggressive play, Judge opted to throw to Jazz Chisholm Jr., serving as a cutoff—Clement scored without a throw.
After Springer came up and doubled to the right in the third inning, Judge’s throw was even slower, at just 62 mph.
Aaron Boone commented that he perceived Judge’s throws as “good” and would continue to assess how often he plays in the outfield alongside Giancarlo Stanton. He didn’t consider replacing Judge with José Caballero later in the match.
That substitution might have made sense when Judge walked to lead off the eighth inning, giving the Yankees a one-run edge.
Paul Goldschmidt missed his second consecutive game due to a bone bruise in his right knee, as Boone mentioned before the game. Despite his condition, Goldschmidt later entered as a defensive replacement for Ben Rice at first base.
Before the game, Boone mentioned Goldschmidt was expected to take a more regular role moving forward, after being utilized only in emergencies the previous Saturday. Boone reassured reporters that the injury was “very manageable,” although he acknowledged Goldschmidt was more affected than others.
Goldschmidt was able to avoid the injured list but ended up missing three games.
CC Sabathia received recognition in a pre-game ceremony for his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame back in July, but his ceremonial first pitch didn’t exactly go as planned; it bounced before reaching Lewis Gill.
On Sunday, Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. combined to steal a base, marking the Yankees’ 52 stolen bases over their last 41 games. This already puts them ahead of their total from the 2011 season, where they finished with 116 stolen bases overall.
