ALL RISE! This case will cover alleged sign stealing that led to an Aaron Judge home run in the eighth inning started by a conversation of the Toronto Blue Jays announcing team. MLBbro.com will show that Judge did nothing wrong but is an all-time great home run hitter who tagged a pitching mistake over the fence in a game that was over anyway.
This article should be covering the fact that Aaron Judge has been cooking with fish grease since returning to the lineup after being out with a hip injury. The injury kept him out 10 games and even then, he had started slowly compared to last year with hitting splits of .261/.352/.511 (137 OPS+) along with six home runs and 14 RBI.
He’s almost matched that home run total since his return to the lineup!
Add that to the fact that the New York Yankees had fallen to last place in the AL East, there had to be grumblings in the Big Apple. Since our MLBbro has returned, let’s just say the Yankees are rising from the last place ashes like a phoenix with Judge being the energy source.
On Monday night, the story should have been about Judge and the two long bombs he sent to the bleachers in a 7-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays to close within one game of tying them in the AL East. But let the Blue Jays announcing team join the mix and you have a conspiracy theory (Also read cheating!) that is dominating the headlines now and possibly for the rest of the series.
This video contains the conversation of the announcers before Judge hit his second home run of the night, which is now his third multi-homer game of the season and 30th of his career.
Aaron Judge hits a home run as the Blue Jays broadcasters wonder why he keeps glancing toward the dugout pic.twitter.com/ZrOY7grbYV
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) May 16, 2023
Before the latest Judge launch into the atmosphere, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was tossed for arguing pitch calls against Judge. After Boone’s ejection, players in the dugout continued with comments that seemed to distract the Yankees captain for a few pitches.
After the game, Judge discussed his unusual eye glances and stated that he was looking at his own dugout because his teammates were distracting him when it was unnecessary.
Aaron Judge says he was looking toward the Yankees dugout because he didn’t like how much his teammates were chirping the umpire with a 6-0 lead
“I said a couple things to some guys in the dugout and especially after the game. Hopefully it won’t happen again.” pic.twitter.com/rMJ05Ilp0r
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 16, 2023
“There was kind of a lot of chirping from our dugout, which I really didn’t like in the situation,” Judge said.
“I feel like after the manager does his thing, it’s like, Fellas, our pitcher has still got to go out there and make some pitches. We’ve got the lead, let’s just go to work here,” Judge said. “I said a couple of things to some guys in the dugout and especially after the game. Hopefully it won’t happen again.”
MLBbro.com is not in the least surprised about the laser focus it takes to block out distractions to hit a 462-foot shot considering the intense preparation that Aaron Judge does leading up to the season.
The Toronto Blue Jays had a side-eye of their own. Not to the Yankees dugout or first base coach, but to the Yankees and Aaron Judge.
Toronto’s reliever Jay Jackson via the Toronto Sun:
“When I came back to the dugout (one of the coaches) told me you’re going to be pissed when you see the video. He said they are tipping pitches.”
“I really haven’t seen hitters do that,” Jackson said. “I can’t say what he was doing. We’ll see what plays out from this and next time we’ll have a different game plan.“
“I’m not going to say anything against any organization…but for him to be peeking over for that amount of time, it seemed like it wasn’t just a glance and re-adjusting your eyes to get back on the pitcher.”
Toronto’s manager John Schneider:
“I saw it…”
“Kind of odd that a hitter would be looking in that direction. He’s obviously looking in that direction for a reason and (we will) dive into it a little more tonight and tomorrow and make sure we’re doing everything we can to make ourselves susceptible to tendencies.”
What gets lost in all of this is the fact that Jackson threw a pitch right down the middle to the American League’s newly crowned Home Run King after throwing two pitches way off the plate.
But let’s explain the unwritten rules of sign stealing.
The widely accepted definition of sign stealing is a team observing signs of the catcher or coach of the opposing team and passing them on to their teammates to warn them of tendencies or something as simple as the next pitch. It is claimed that legal sign stealing comes from a base runner on second base signaling the batter.
However, in 2001, then executive vice president for baseball operations, Sandy Alderson banned teams from using electronic equipment to communicate during games to help eliminate the purpose of sign stealing or other forms of cheating (This rule is what caused the controversy for the Houston Astros in the 2017 World Series).
Then before the 2019 season, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred added specifications to the technology rules by mandating specific positions for cameras and communication requirements between managers and instant replay officials.
In short, if the Yankees did not use technology last night, even if Judge was looking to the dugout for stolen signs…HE DID NOTHING WRONG by the guidelines of Major League Baseball.
In closing:
Now over the next few games, look for some brushback pitches in retaliation which is common for irritated teams to send a message, but other than that, MLBbro.com has some advice for melanated mound marauder Jay Jackson and the rest of the Blue Jays pitching staff…
Don’t fall behind in the count the 2022 MLB MVP and don’t leave pitches out over the plate. Aaron Judge can hit the ball really far!
To Yankees fans, just smile every time you see this scene in Bull Durham…
This Aaron Judge situation against the Blue Jays has major Nuke LaLoosh/Crash Davis Bull Durham vibes
“You told him I was throwing the deuce didn’t you”
“That ball got out of here in a hurry. Anything that travels that far should have a stewardess on it”pic.twitter.com/QXjUcKsboQ https://t.co/eFLAPGn3QP
— Jack Benjamin (@JackBenjaminPxP) May 16, 2023
MLBbro.com rests its case.
