In an already tense weekend for the New York Yankees, who were visiting their cross-town rivals, the New York Mets, in the “Subway Series” and were on a five-game losing streak, tensions were further heightened by an unusual incident. Yankees superstar Aaron Judge suffered a terrifying scare when his face was hit and bloodied by a pitch from his own teammate, Anthony Volpe, in what has been described as true “friendly fire.”
The situation took place just after the bottom of the fourth inning of Saturday’s game. Aaron Judge, the right fielder, was jogging toward the visitors’ dugout, a journey he has made countless times and one that, under normal circumstances, is almost done on autopilot. However, on this occasion, the routine was broken.
From foul territory beyond third base, Anthony Volpe threw a ball toward the infield. Judge, who was still in the outfield at the time and about to step into the infield past second base, apparently did not see the throw coming. The ball hit him squarely in the face with significant impact. The blow was so violent that it broke his sunglasses and caused a cut above his eye, causing bleeding and setting off alarm bells on the Yankees’ bench.
Just a little scare
Fortunately, the scare was greater than the damage. After the incident, the top of the fifth inning passed quickly and Aaron Judge was able to return to action, albeit with a bandage covering the wound above his eye. Judge’s ability to continue in the game was an immense relief for the Yankees, as a blow to the face always carries the risk of much more serious injury.
This peculiar episode, a “friendly fire” incident that left the Yankees star with a bloody face, added a note of drama to an already complicated series for New York, serving as a reminder that even in the most routine moments of a game, baseball can be unpredictable and potentially dangerous.
Aaron Boone’s concern
“I mean, confusion. I didn’t know what had happened initially. I just saw as if, what I felt, something had happened. So yes, of course I was worried. He had a small cut. In the end I don’t think it’s anything too serious, obviously. But yes, initially, obviously very worried,” were the words of Yankees manager Aaron Boone regarding this unprecedented incident.
Judge, for his part, downplayed the situation and focused on the sporting side. “We just have to play better. That’s what it comes down to. Just the fundamentals. Make the routine play. It’s just the little things. That’s what it comes down to, but every good team goes through a couple of bumps in the road. We’ll fix some things. We know what we have to do. We’ll take care of business.”
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