New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge’s day ended early after home plate umpire Ryan Blakney handed him his first career ejection.
Up two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and with a full count, Judge took Tigers right-hander Tyler Holton’s pitch to the outside of Blakney’s strike zone and was called for strike three.
Unhappy with the result, Judge had a quick back-and-forth with the umpire as he walked back to the Yankees dugout. With his back turned, Blakney threw Judge out of the game.
It marked the first time in Judge’s nine-year career that he had been ejected. He made his MLB debut on Aug. 13, 2016, and Saturday marked his 870th career regular-season game.Â
YES Network graphics coordinator Seth Rothman noted that the ejection was also the first for a Yankees captain since Don Mattingly almost exactly 30 years ago on May 13, 1994.Â
But the day wasn’t a total loss for the 2022 American League MVP. Judge drove in shortstop Anthony Volpe in the third inning on a double to break a 1-1 tie.
He finished the game 2-for-4 at the plate, raising his season average to .209. The Yankees held on for a 5-3 win to improve to 22-13.
