Aaron Judge breaks out
Outfielder rewards Girardi’s patience with two-run homer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — While Gary Sanchez has made a mockery of the concept of having to adjust to the major leagues, the struggle has been very real for Aaron Judge.
But Judge was in the lineup again Tuesday night in the Yankees’ 5-4, 10-inning victory over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Judge hit a two-run home run, but is in the midst of a stretch in which he has just three hits in 38 plate appearances — and a whopping 18 strikeouts.
“Everything feels good,” Judge said. “My mechanics feel good. Just making sure when you get that pitch, you don’t miss it.”
After the first three games of his big league career, though, that’s basically all Judge has done.
He came out of the gate in Sanchez-like fashion, with five hits — including two homers and a double.
The league didn’t take long to figure out Judge’s aversion to offspeed pitches and because of his 6-foot-7 frame, he has always been susceptible to striking out.
Despite all of that, manager Joe Girardi intends to keep sending him out there.
“We believe in him,” Girardi said. “No one said it was gonna be easy. A lot of guys go through this, go through ups and downs when they’re young. We believe he’s gonna figure it out.”
“For me, it’s just about getting a pitch I can drive,” Judge said. “That’s the difference here in the major leagues compared to the minor leagues. In the minors, you might get a couple of pitches every at-bat you can drive. Here, you might get one or two pitches the whole game.”
And unlike Sanchez, Judge has missed those pitches.
“What Gary is doing, I’ve seen it for years,” Judge said of his minor-league teammate. “Double-A, Triple-A and now up here in the big show. It’s fun to be a part of. He’s just locked in. It’s Gary being Gary.”
Girardi wants to make sure Judge and another rookie, Tyler Austin, don’t compare themselves to Sanchez.
“When a guy comes in and hits like Gary Sanchez for a month, that’s not normal,” Girardi said. “It’s unusual. More of the guys go through struggles and slumps. Gary’s really been abnormal.”
So Girardi wrestles with the balance of helping young players like Judge and Austin go through growing pains and wanting to keep his team in playoff contention.