BOSTON – Aaron Judge Faces Tough Weekend Against Red Sox

This season has largely belonged to Aaron Judge. He’s leading the league in nearly every offensive category, drawing comparisons to legends like Ted Williams and Barry Bonds.

However, this weekend in Boston was a different story. Judge’s impactful moment came on Friday during a nine-inning game when he connected with a pitch from Garrett Crochet, extending the game but proving to be his only hit for the series. Ultimately, the Red Sox secured a sweep, shutting out the Yankees 2-0 on Sunday with Judge striking out three times, adding to a frustrating few days at Fenway Park.

Judge’s final chance to make a difference occurred in the eighth inning. With the Yankees on first and second base, Garrett Whitlock took the mound. Unfortunately for Judge, he grounded into a double play, effectively ending the Yankees’ only significant threat of the game.

Typically a more decisive hitter, Judge struggled this time, swinging at pitches outside the strike zone. “We have to swing at strikes,” he remarked, hinting at his frustration with the pitches he faced.

He was caught off guard by a slider outside during that double play and seemed to flounder against Brayan Bello’s sinker and fastballs later on. It wasn’t just Whitlock who troubled him—Judge struck out multiple times across the series, finishing with a disappointing total of 12 strikeouts and just one home run.

Boston’s manager, Alex Cora, noted the challenge of pitching to Judge, recalling previous encounters. “He’s so good, but we executed well with our fastballs and took advantage of some mistakes,” he reflected.

Earlier, in a series at Yankee Stadium, Judge had managed three hits, which makes this performance all the more curious. Cora admired the competition, stating that facing Judge is always a challenge. “He’s the best in the business right now,” he acknowledged.

Judge’s performance this weekend revealed some unexpected struggles, impacting the entire team’s dynamics. “If they’re going to give you that, you’ve got to take hacks to make something happen, not just aim for walks,” Judge explained. Yet, his teammates didn’t help much—Sunday saw the Yankees muster only five hits in total.

Manager Aaron Boone spoke on the overall difficulty of the game. “That’s baseball—these days happen, even for a player like Judge,” he said. It’s tough for the Yankees to rely solely on Judge, especially after scoring just four runs over three games against a Red Sox team looking to make its mark in the AL East.