Judge on Girardi ouster: ‘It’s a tough situation’
Aaron Judge may be gaining awards, but he’s lost a manager.
The Yankees All-Star right fielder did the ESPN rounds Tuesday, when he appeared on multiple shows and, for the first time, addressed Joe Girardi not returning as manager.
“Tough situation. Joe was my first manager,” Judge said on “First Take,” when asked about Brian Cashman’s assertion that Girardi couldn’t connect with the players. “He had 10 great years with the Yankees, all winning seasons. Won the World Series in ’09. Took a team that was supposed to be rebuilding to the ALCS, one game away from the World Series.
“It’s a tough situation. I have a lot of love and respect for Joe and what he’s done not only for me but for the organization. But we move on, excited to see who we got next.”
Judge, who was touting PlayStation’s “MLB The Show 18” — he’s featured on the cover — said he would miss Girardi.
“He gave me an opportunity,” Judge said on “Mike and Mike.” “He always had faith in me, always trusted me. Through the good times and the bad times, so I’m going to miss him. But I’m a player, supposed to go out there and play. I haven’t really followed the manager thing too much right now. We’ll see who we got. There are a lot of candidates out there.”
Girardi had praised his rookie phenom Monday, saying the “sky’s the limit for” Judge, who hit 52 home runs and drove in 114 runs this season.
Judge now waits to hear about the MVP and Rookie of the Year votes, which will be announced next week.