Judge earns nod as All-Star starter
HOUSTON — The first phase of MLB All-Star Game voting has concluded, and Aaron Judge leads all American League players. Under this new system, Judge has automatically earned a starting spot in the game thanks to winning Phase 1. Braves’ outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. will join Judge, as he leads all National League players.
This is Judge’s fourth career AllStar nod. In his previous All-Star years (2017, 2018 and 2021) he was also a starter. He is the first Yankee to lead all players in fan voting since Alex Rodriguez in 2008. With 3,762,498 total votes, Judge not only leads the AL, but the entire league.
The second phase of voting begins on July 5. During this phase, fans can only vote between the top two vote-getters at each position and the next four outfielders after Judge and Acuna. The full starting lineups will be announced on July 8 with the rest of the teams unveiled on July 10.
CAN’T ESCAPE ASTROS
Entering their one-game stay in Houston on Thursday, the Yankees have played 14 different teams this season. The Astros are the only one they don’t have a winning record against.
After splitting their four-game series at the Stadium last weekend, one that Aaron Boone called “energetic” and “intense,” the Bombers held a .500 winning percentage against the Astros going into Thursday night. The Yankees have a perfect winning percentage against five teams (Cubs, Guardians, Royals, Angels and Athletics) and eked out a 4-3 record in their seven games against the White Sox, the only other team to really give them trouble in 2022.
The game at Minute Maid Park is the result of MLB postponing its opening week games during the lockout. Because of this, the Yankees do not play a traditional series in Houston all year. They have one game on Thursday, then come back for a doubleheader on July 21.
“Any time you’re playing against a team this good, and obviously there’s a rivalry that exists, that gives you a little shot,” Boone said. “There’s spots on the calendar throughout the grind of the season that probably give you a little extra, but also, it’s June.”
Everyone and their mother expects these teams to meet again in the postseason, creating another opportunity for them to renew their warm and fuzzy feelings for each other. The schedule right now has been strange for the Yankees, though it really hasn’t slowed them down at all.
“The one-off game here in the middle of 20 in a row — we’ve had a tough stretch here where we’ve gotten in at five in the morning, played day games after night games — that can be a grind,” Boone said. “When you add in a really good opponent to the mix, yeah, it definitely makes it a little more challenging. But every major-league team has to go through those challenges.”
Since Boone took over in 2018, the Yankees have a 12-8 regular-season record against the Astros. Things haven’t been as easy in Houston, though, where they’ve won five games and lost five games. Of course, the 2019 American League Championship Series far outweighs those regular-season games. The Astros took that series in six games to advance to the World Series, beating the Yankees at home in the decisive Game 6.
Aaron Hicks, Aaron Judge and Luis Severino are the only players on the Yankees’ current active roster who played in the 2017 ALCS, which the Astros won in seven by taking every game in Houston. Chad Green and Aroldis Chapman both pitched in that series but are on the injured list right now.
CHAPMAN BACK TONIGHT
The Yankees have been without Chapman for more than a month. The 34-year-old closer has not pitched in a big-league game since May 22 as he makes his way back from an Achilles injury. He did pitch three times in the minors (once in Triple-A, twice in Double-A) and recorded a scoreless inning each time.
“He’ll be activated (tonight),” Boone said. “We’ll pick spots to get him in, try to get him in spots where he can be successful. It could be anywhere from high-leverage situations, to mid-leverage, to low-leverage.”
Boone went on to say that the hitters in the batter’s box will be heavily considered, perhaps even more than the inning.
“I’m not going to be tied to anything, especially initially. If there’s a part of the lineup where we feel like he can go in and be successful against, then I won’t hesitate.”
There were also some problems in Chapman’s delivery that led to some of his struggles before he hit the injured list. Boone knows that if all the parts are working, though, Chapman is a problem for the other team.