Aaron Judge, Yankees get final say against Red Sox during noisy weekend
Jasson Dominguez, Juan Soto and Aaron Judge of the Yankees celebrate after defeating the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, Sep. 15, 2024. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Just for the record, Carlos Rodon and Tim Hill somehow resisted the urge to flash four fingers at Red Sox slugger Rafael Devers on Sunday, and the Yankees still wound up taking the series finale, 5-2, in the Bronx.
Listening to Boston manager Alex Cora before the game, you’d think Devers was on the verge of turning into another Big Papi, ready to hoist the Sox on his shoulders for a late September sprint to the playoffs. A day earlier, Devers definitely had Gerrit Cole spooked, apparently living rent-free inside his head as the reigning Cy Young Award winner acted irrationally each time he stepped to the plate.
But Cora wasn’t through with the psych jobs heading into Sunday’s matinee, suggesting that Cole’s surrender to Devers, his $331 million misfiring All-Star, could be the trigger to launch the sputtering Sox into October. It was a bold statement, especially the part in which Cora wanted another crack at Cole in the playoffs.
“We’re probably going to thank Gerrit Cole [for getting] us going, to be honest with you,” Cora said during Sunday’s pregame media briefing in the visitors’ dugout. “Hopefully it happens. And hopefully we can face them in the playoffs because he will have to pitch.”
Chances are that ain’t happening. Cole’s going to be starting in October, sure. But the Yankees pretty much left Cora’s crew in the rearview mirror until 2025, thanks mostly to another strong performance by Rodon (career-best 15th victory) and home runs by Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres that took care of business Sunday afternoon.
This one definitely had a must-win vibe, sandwiched between Cole’s stunning four-finger salute and this week’s West Coast trip through Seattle and Oakland, a strange trek to be taking at this late stage of the season.
The Yankees seemed to have trouble getting their stories straight after their ace melted down in Saturday’s 7-1 loss to the Red Sox. Making matters worse, you can bet the Sox — and especially Cora — reveled in their rival’s dysfunction.
Cora spent a good chunk of Saturday’s postgame session alleging that Cole drilled Devers on purpose during his first at-bat, something the Yankees obviously denied, and couldn’t resist tweaking the Yankees further before Sunday’s first pitch. The second time, however, Cora went a bit too far in suggesting that Brayan Bello deliberately threw behind Judge in the sixth inning on Saturday as retaliation for Cole plunking Devers.
It was no big secret, of course. Everyone in the Bronx knew what was up, and major-league pitchers don’t fling fastballs toward the on-deck circle by accident. But no one ever cops to seeking payback, and Cora slipped by practically pleading guilty to the crime.
“We had our chance,” Cora said, referring to Bello’s warning shot. “Didn’t happen. And we have to move on.”
When the comment was brought up to Aaron Boone after Sunday’s victory — one punctuated by Judge’s 445-foot blast to centerfield — the manager’s celebratory mood darkened some. Despite his friendship with Cora, he’s not going to dismiss having any of his players, especially Judge, used for target practice.
“Yeah, that’s not allowed,” Boone said. “That’s for somebody else to deal with. We’re finished playing with them for now, so we’re on to Seattle now.”
That “somebody else” would be the commissioner’s office, and it’s possible that Cora will get a phone call about the incident. Boone ended his remarks about Cora by saying, “He’s got to do what he’s got to do.”
Messing with the Yankees usually is at the top of Cora’s agenda. It’s part of the job description at Fenway Park. But Boone & Co. have greater goals for this season, and returning the focus to the field was the top priority Sunday. After Cole and Cora played verbal pickleball a day earlier, it was time for the Yankees to fortify their lead atop the AL East, and they didn’t get distracted.
Rodon made the Yankees feel a little better about his October prowess by allowing two or fewer earned runs for the eighth time in his last 11 starts (6-2, 3.26 ERA), and the bullpen did its job, too. When Jake Cousins got a bit wobbly in the ninth, Tommy Kahnle induced a game-ending double play for his first save in a calendar year, almost to the day.
“We’re all confident in ourselves, and each one of us is confident in the other guys,” Kahnle said. “So I think that’s a great thing to have.”
A ticked-off Judge helps, too. No. 53 definitely had the look of a statement home run. And when I later asked him if being teed up for retaliation just comes with the gig, he didn’t shrug it off entirely.
“Playing this game for a while, things like that happen,’ Judge said. “That’s the way this game kind of gets policed, and it’s been policed for over 100 years. I think the biggest thing is, don’t miss when you do it.”
Judge didn’t whiff on his shot at revenge Sunday, ensuring the Yankees got the last word during a noisy weekend in the Bronx.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
