Aaron Judge is a star player for the New York Yankees, and he recently had an unexpected experience during a game against the Detroit Tigers. In the seventh inning, Judge was called out on a third strike by home plate umpire Ryan Blakney. However, Judge believed that the pitch was outside of the strike zone, and he argued with Blakney about it.
Despite his protests, Judge was ejected from the game for the first time in his major league career. The call was controversial because Blakney disagreed with Judge’s interpretation of the strike zone, but even after being ejected, Judge had a productive game at bat. He finished 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Interestingly, this was the first time that a Yankees captain has been ejected from a game since Don Mattingly in 1994. After the game, Judge expressed surprise at being ejected but maintained respect for Blakney and acknowledged the tough job that umpires have to do. Graphics coordinator Seth Rothman also pointed out that Blakney consistently called pitches just outside of the strike zone as strikes throughout the game. Despite this incident, Judge continues to be one of the top players in Major League Baseball and is widely respected by fans and fellow players alike.