BALTIMORE — When Aaron Judge steps up to the plate, it’s not unusual for him to attract attention.
Now they may be in his hands whenever he slides into base.
Questions arose about Judge’s sliding form when his outstretched left hand destroyed a potential double play in Sunday’s 15-5 win over the Brewers.
Shortstop Willie Adames’ throw hit Judge’s finger first, protected by a sliding glove like an oven mitt, giving the Yankees an extra out and opening the floodgates to a seven-run rally.
Crew chief Andy Fletcher told pool reporters after the game that when reviewing replays, the referees should have called interference against the judges. “Because it wasn’t a natural part of his sliding,” he said.
The judge claimed it was Fletcher’s usual way of skating, which was supported by video evidence, and manager Aaron Boone disagreed with Fletcher’s comments.
“I don’t understand that,” Boone said Monday before the Yankees opened a four-game series against the Orioles at Camden Yards. “We’re waiting to hear back from the league on that. If you look at how Aaron skates, he raises his arms when he skates. That’s usually how you go into a slide.
“Aaron is so big that it might look a little different when you break it down and it actually hits your hand. I don’t know. I’m waiting to hear from the league about that. But I don’t know how I would change what I’ve always done. If you look at most players, they come in with their hands up.”
Boone didn’t know if the league would instruct the 6-foot-7 judge to do anything differently in the future, but said his actions were “not illegal.”
For example, the judge placed the blame on the infielder.
“You can look back at any picture of me sliding into second base, and it always happened,” Judge said of putting his hands on his head. “I really don’t know. I feel like we had plenty of time to go around. [me]. I just slide into base and do my job. ”
The Brewers disagreed, although they could have made things right by getting one more out before the Yankees scored seven runs in the first inning.
“It’s hard to say he was at least intentionally trying to interfere,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Sunday. “I think he didn’t want to get hit with the ball, but I think he was intentionally trying to interfere. That’s my opinion. I don’t know what his intentions were. He’s great. He looks like a guy, but he’s also very competitive.”
The play also called into question the use of oversized mitts, which many players use to protect their hands from injury while sliding or diving into bases. MLB regulations require a player to wear a mitt as long as it does not exceed his 12 inches in length when measured with the pads lying flat, the hand and wrist area is adequately covered, and it is worn correctly. It is recognized that
Mitts that extend a runner’s reach are not allowed, but it is unclear how that will be determined.
“Sometimes you see guys with long hair or it looks like they’re not wearing it properly,” Boone said. “I think you’ll be fine as long as you dress properly. So let’s take a look.”
At least on Sunday, the judge was glad he was wearing it.
“I was more concerned about Adames’ skill and thought he had broken his finger there,” the judge said. “I was a little shocked. I didn’t know what happened, I didn’t know where the ball went. I’m glad everything was fine.”
